State Rep. Dylan Fernandes and former Chilmark police chief Timothy Rich squared off against moped rental business owners at a legislative hearing Tuesday to consider a long-sought bill that would enable Oak Bluffs to ban moped rentals.
State Rep. Dylan Fernandes and former Chilmark police chief Timothy Rich squared off against moped rental business owners at a legislative hearing Tuesday to consider a long-sought bill that would enable Oak Bluffs to ban moped rentals.
“Every summer brings another slew of disturbing roadside incidents,” Mr. Rich, a member of the rental moped action committee, told the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government.
During the live-streamed hearing, Representative Fernandes recounted the fatal accident last summer which killed Hannah Malany Iozzo of West Brookfield, a passenger on a moped, and sent its driver to the hospital. He said the legislation to ban rentals is past due, and further deadly accidents are all but certain.
“She definitely will not be the last if we allow moped rentals on Martha’s Vineyard,” he said.
Moped rental business owners argued against the bill, contending the danger of mopeds has been overstated and advocating for their ability to meet a market demand.
“This will destroy my husband’s business and his livelihood,” said Penny Wong, the wife of moped dealer Aguimar Carlos.
She said moped rental shop owners have been vilified, and that the sentiment for banning rentals is not universal. She claimed advocates against mopeds have dominated the conversation, drowning out and intimidating those who are in favor of their use on the Island.
“I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been told that we are quietly supported,” Ms. Wong said.
Two other businessmen, Mike Tierney and John Leone, claimed that mopeds are not as dangerous as they have been made out to be. Mr. Tierney manages the three moped businesses in Oak Bluffs, and Mr. Leone is a relative of the late Oak Bluffs moped business owner Jason Leone.
Both men said data from Dukes County showed incidents occur with less than one third of one per cent of the mopeds rented on the Island.
“And those are incidents, those aren’t all accidents,” Mr. Tierney said.
Mr. Tierney said tragic, fatal moped accidents are rare on the Island. He claimed there have been three or fewer fatal accidents in the last several decades, though Mr. Fernandes said there have been at least nine since 1983, a number supported by news stories from the Gazette archives.
“There might be like three deaths in 45 years,” Mr. Tierney said. “Which is three too many . . . but there have not been as many as Mr. Fernandes has said.”
Advocates have tried unsuccessfully for years to ban moped rentals on the Vineyard.
Oak Bluffs voters voted overwhelmingly in 2018 and again last fall to petition the legislature for a home rule law that would enable the town to prohibit rentals. A previous bill died in the legislature.
If the current bill is passed by the legislature, it would go back to town meeting where voters would have to make a final change to town bylaws.
While the legislation would only ban moped rentals in Oak Bluffs, Mr. Fernandes indicated that use of mopeds on the Martha’s Vineyard is broadly dangerous.
“We can’t allow this to continue on Vineyard streets,” he said.
Mr. Rich and Representative Fernandes both argued that moped rental drivers are often inexperienced tourists with little knowledge of the Vineyard’s winding roads.
“The roads on Martha’s Vineyard are pre-Revolution roads,” Mr. Rich said. He added that his gripe is solely with rental mopeds, and the dangers posed by inexperienced drivers.
“This is only rental mopeds,” Mr. Rich said. “I’ve never encountered an owner-operator [crash]. It’s always rental.”
He cited a fatal moped accident that occured eight years ago, when a moped driver collided with a pickup truck operated by his son.
“This was in 2014, and the matter continues,” Mr. Rich said.
Comments
Mopeds certainly pose a
BS Oak BluffsMopeds certainly pose a health risk. As does booze, cigarettes, ice cream , pizza, burgers and any number of things. Far more trips to the emergency room from bike accidents than mopeds. Should we ban all these things? Where does it end?
Where does it end? I don't
No more BS TisburyWhere does it end? I don't know. But it begins by banning mopeds on this island.
What is the source of
Thomas Hodgson wtWhat is the source of information for your assertion that more bike riders go to the emergency room than mopeders?
Has any thought been given to
Andrew. T BostonHas any thought been given to replacing these with electric bicycles? Most of us have experience on a bicycle, they’re quieter, do not pollute and you wouldn’t have two people riding. Mopeds are just an accident waiting to happen.
Please no to electric bikes
Bob EdgartownPlease no to electric bikes they have been ruining the bike paths. It seems all these bikes go at least 20 miles an hour and some of them go up to 30 miles an hour and they are quiet and scare other people on the bike paths. Electric bike should be banned from the bike paths as they are dangerous. Firsthand experience and it is only a matter of time before one of these electric bikes creates the same problem on the bike paths. Keep them off the bike paths.
I agree in regards to the
Jim EdgartownI agree in regards to the electric bikes…. They go as fast as mopeds IMO and people on them think they are on bikes .
The state is looking to
RC OBThe state is looking to exactly the opposite of what you propose https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/30/metro/top-lawmaker-vows-movement…
Cyclist safety is seriously
George Stein OBCyclist safety is seriously hampered by too many irresponsible folks on bike paths with motorized power. They come up way too fast on seniors/kids. Tourists hide in a crowd before you can ID them. License plates create revenue. Register every one of them . Confiscate unregistered bikes.
As an avid cyclist, I could
MDW EdgartownAs an avid cyclist, I could not agree more about electric bikes. These should be plated and denied use of the bike paths. Imagine having one of these come up on you at twice or more the speed at which you are cycling. Or walking, for that matter. These are no less menacing on the paths than are the mopeds that have long been prohibited.
An eBike doesn’t go any
Loval MVYAn eBike doesn’t go any faster than a regular bike. It’s the matter of how the bike is propelled that’s different.
E-bikes fundamentally do not
AM 02539E-bikes fundamentally do not belong on bike paths. Period. They are a hazard to other, and should be confined to street use.
Good. Ban them. Lives will be
Chris ChappyGood. Ban them. Lives will be saved. A passenger on the back causes severe shifts in balance and leads to loss of control. Riders wearing beachwear and beach footwear can be severely injured even in a minor skid on pavement. Banning passengers would be a step in the right.
Mopeds are deadly to those
R Scott Patterson EdgartownMopeds are deadly to those that are not experienced and almost everyone who rents one is UNEXPERIENCED! The people that profit from this have blood on their hands and I have zero sympathy for the potential loss of their business. This is long overdue, ban the damn things already and prevent more death and maimed people.
Ban two people on one moped!!
matt child of gay headBan two people on one moped!!!!
Economic benefit to the
Thomas Hodgson wtEconomic benefit to the owners may not be such a big deal. It's a poor reason to continue moped rentals. How much does a moped rental busiess make? Compare that to the hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs to care for the injured and the millions of dollars in the value of the loss of the years of life to the dead. If moped businesses had to pay the medical bills of those injured, and make up for the years lost to death, would they remain in business? In addition to the injury and death experienced by moped riders, consider the terrible and wasted hours that police,emergency workers, and medical personnel have to spend caring for these moped victims.
It's one thing to personally own a moped and to use it for transportation.
It's another thing to knowingly allow rental of mopeds to the inexperienced,
an act which literally puts them in mortal peril
Well said, Mr. Hodgson.
Kenny Oak BluffsWell said, Mr. Hodgson. Those moped locations would rent out to a new business in a heartbeat.
I only see them during the
Ken Edg.I only see them during the summer, must be a reason. unsafe?
If you dont want to ban them,
just a thought mvyIf you dont want to ban them, simply require a motorcycle license. It has 2 wheels and a motor so why an exception for these useless contraptions
I have been saying this for
R Scott Patterson EdgartownI have been saying this for years, such a simple solution. As a motorcycle rider I feel pretty confident is saying that anyone who rides and has a motorcycle license is never going to rent a scooter/moped to ride around MV.
Thank you & good luck to Tim
Mary Jane Nevin ChilmarkThank you & good luck to Tim Rich & Dylan Fernandez for trying to do what has been badly needed here for decades. If successful, our local EMT’s & healthcare workers will be greatly relieved to not to have to deal with another needless moped mop up or the death of a loved one. No one has been able to get a bill passed previously despite years of trying. Every year car & truck drivers must awkwardly negotiate sharing the winding roads with these small unwieldy & often overloaded mopeds. This puts our car & truck drivers as well as moped operators under much unnecessary stress & creates unsafe driving conditions for all . There is zero community benefit to allowing them here. We can do much better than this! Currently local residents safely get around the Island by car, bicycle, & public transportation. With some thoughtful planning we can work to improve these current options making them much more efficient & visitor friendly. I support this ban on mopeds!
Don't ban me, don't ban thee,
Lorraine EdgartownDon't ban me, don't ban thee, ban that man behind the tree. Somebody's ox is always getting gored.
I would like to clear up any
Timothy Rich ChilmarkI would like to clear up any confusion regarding the legislation that’s currently before the Joint Committee on Municipalities And Regional Government H.4322, the Home Rule Petition that would allow the Town Of Oak to regulate the licensing of rental mopeds.
I would like to be very clear that the home rule petition (H.4322) that I testified in strong support of on Tuesday only involves the regulation of 3 rental moped licenses issued by the town of oak bluffs. If passed into law, it’s has nothing to do with banning privately owned mopeds, E-bikes or any form of transportation on a public way.
I would also strongly urge anyone concerned with the issues of rental mopeds on the Martha’s Vineyard, to make your voices heard in Boston.
This keeps coming up and the
JayEff EdgartownThis keeps coming up and the legislature ignores it. WHY does the legislature have to decide this? It's a local, public safety issue no different than a cross walk near a school. It's not about money and who can provide the right influence. It's about dealing with heavy seasonal traffic, bigger vehicles, people unfamiliar with the local roads, and mostly the risk of injury to inexperienced operators and their passengers. For every moped accident, there are a large number of near-misses. It's not about banning mopeds so much as it's about making MV roads safer for all.
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