The board voted unanimously at its June 28 meeting to reject Island Adventure Rentals’ application to resume moped rentals on Beach Road. The business had long been one of the few remaining moped rental operations on the Island but closed during the pandemic.
The Tisbury select board denied an application for a moped business last week, citing safety concerns.
The board voted unanimously at its June 28 meeting to reject Island Adventure Rentals’ application to resume moped rentals on Beach Road. The business had long been one of the few remaining moped rental operations on the Island and the only one outside of Oak Bluffs.
The business closed during the pandemic and was attempting to reopen. The renting of mopeds on the Vineyard has been a contentious issue going back decades and there have been several attempts to ban them in the state legislature in the name of public safety.
Erin Leone, the owner of Island Adventure, touted the business’s test track where potential riders have to show off their skills before renting a moped. She said she’s ready to deny people a moped if she didn’t believe they were capable of safely navigating Island roads.
“I make sure safety is first,” she said. “I really do.”
But the board was hesitant to approve the license.
Select board member John Cahill said there have been 174 moped crashes in the last 10 years and fellow board member Christina Colarusso said she’s seen people injured firsthand while working as a first responder in Chilmark.
Mr. Cahill made the motion to deny the license due to constraints of the property, concerns about the location and fear for public safety.
The decision did not sit well with Ms. Leone, who contended that an issue in town hall resulted in her paperwork not being processed correctly during the pandemic. She claimed at the meeting that the license should have been a renewal, not a new license.
Seemingly stunned after the vote, Ms. Leone asked the board what the denial meant.
“You could try another town or another location,” Mr. Cahill responded.
Comments
Not a fan of mopeds, but the
Frank Brunelle Vineyard HavenNot a fan of mopeds, but the switch from a renewal of a license to an application for a new license, if that is the case, is very unfair to a business owner. Expecting a renewal puts the owner in position of investing hard earned money, not to mention expectation of income.
But also, 175 moped accidents over the last 10 years but none from this vendor does not seem fair.
In a conversation with the head radiologist at Mass General, which reviews all radiology submissions from our hospital, I was told that the vast majority of broken limbs come from bicycle riding. Another point of contention.
From simply riding a bike it is obvious that the majority of accidents have to do with sand and debris on the roads. This is not the fault of riders or vendors.
This year we are in a completely new territory. Oak Bluffs got a non-recommended Shared Use Path and the MV Hospital was a prime candidate for accidents at its entrance and it had to be redone to allow more visibility.
Electric bikes, scooters and so on are now a an additional challenge. I have always been opposed to mopeds, but this decision stinks on so many levels.
Not true of no accidents from
Harry Schwartz EdgartownNot true of no accidents from this vendor. She was (perhaps still is) a part of King's Moped rental. You're right about sand being the issue with accidents. These vehicles are too powerful for the narrow roads on the island. The riders aren't required to be licensed to operate a motorcycle but they are required to ride in the road on a vehicle that has a narrow margin for error along side SUV's and full sized pickup trucks. They are too dangerous for here.
These scooters are 49cc's ,
R Scott Patterson edgartownThese scooters are 49cc's , they have no power at all! You're completely uninformed. The problem is inexperienced riders on underpowered machines that can't keep up with traffic flow!
All communities are just
Bob EdgartownAll communities are just kicking the can down the road. Electric bikes are just as dangerous and they don’t even require a driver’s license.
Ban both mopeds and e-bikes.
Mark EdgartownBan both mopeds and e-bikes. Restricting bicycles to designated paths would also dramatically increase safety.
If they are so concerned
Charlie Callahan So Boston/EdgartownIf they are so concerned about safety here, ban alcohol and dope sales. There are more drunks and junkies driving around than bad moped drivers. A lot more people are screwed up and hurt here from drugs and alcohol than from mopeds. They just put a legitimate business under. Real idiots.
They're not out of business.
Harry Schwartz EdgartownThey're not out of business. They own a moped rental business in Oak Bluffs.
so, they put this family out
Michael edgartownso, they put this family out of business. what do they do now? I find this totally unfair to these people.....
The article states that the
Amy TisburyThe article states that the business was closed during the pandemic and was attempting to reopen so technically it hasn't been in business for quite some time . I do sympathize with the owner/ family however that location is a prime commercial location and no doubt another, safer, service can be offered from it. There is no question that mopeds are dangerous, and even one more accident is one too many. Good decision here.
There's plenty of opportunity
Kevin OBThere's plenty of opportunity to sell less dangerous products and services to tourists. And how many visiting families have been maimed by their rentals? That's what's unfair.
Freedom to choose your
Albert GosnoldFreedom to choose your transport mode is unfair?
How many people on the Island have been maimed by cars, trucks, motorcycles?
The far safer product are
Laurence Vaughn EdgartownThe far safer product are ebikes. They have a lower maximum speed than mopeds and they can be reprogrammed to go slower. They also are single seat, unlike mopeds and that massively increased safety. The main problem I see as an ebikes owner is that people are bringing ebikes over on the boat or own them privately.
Renting ebikes isn't the issue, user owned ebikes with modified top speed and speeding on the bike paths are the problems.
Good. Glad that one was
Carol formerly ChilmarkGood. Glad that one was voted down. Mopeds were dangerous when they first became popular here in the 1980s; now that it's so much more crowded, it's worse. Thank you.
Erin this could be a blessing
Bill Wilson TisburyErin this could be a blessing in disguise. There is much more important work to be done other than on mopeds.
The towns MUST get their acts
John Merrow EDGARTOWNThe towns MUST get their acts together regarding the bike/multi-use paths. They have been allowed to deteriorate, and they are not maintained regarding sand accumulation. Their disrepair is precisely why so many more bikers are now using the roads.
What's more, the bike/multi-use paths need speed limits, as on Cape Cod. This is a disaster waiting to happen...
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