by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
The past couple months have been good for the motorized scooter business.
New Urban Transport is no exception, said owner Richard Meltz.
"This year when the price of gas hit three bucks, the scooter business went through the roof," he said. "I would actually be surprised if we ever sell as many bikes as we did in September of 2005."
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He declined to comment on how many scooters were sold this year at New Urban Transport. However, he said the store has sold about 30 percent more scooters this year than it did in 2004.
A likely cause for the increase in sales could be that some scooters get 110 miles per gallon, according to the Web site of scooter manufacturer Bajaj USA.
Student Amber Myers bought a scooter in August because it was cheap and convenient, she said.
"I don't have a car and I live far enough away that it's a pain in the neck to walk to campus," she said. "It's just really convenient."
Having a scooter also makes it easy to find parking on campus, she said.
"I just drive it right to campus and park it at the bike racks," she said. "I've had parking enforcement guys walk right past it, and they don't seem to mind."
However, according to the UNM Parking and Transportation Services Web site, all scooters with a 50cc engine or larger has to park in a motorcycle spot.
The smallest scooters Meltz sells have 50cc engines, which consume the least amount of fuel among scooters, he said.
Myers also bought a motorcycle parking permit in case the bike racks are full, she said.
A motorcycle parking permit costs $49, and permits for a car can cost up to $128, according to the Web site.
Student Steve Vasquez said scooters do not appeal to him.
"I just don't like it based on the pure design," he said. "It seems like it's just trying to be a motorcycle."
Scooters appeal to a wider variety of people than motorcycles, Meltz said.
"There's a certain element of freedom and fun in having a scooter that is very appealing to a lot of different people," he said.
Scooters are more user-friendly than motorcycles, he said.
"Operating the machine is a barrier for some people if they're thinking about buying a motorcycle," he said. "Scooters are so easy to ride that absolute beginners can hop on and within half an hour of driving around an empty parking lot feel comfortable enough to go out in traffic."
Myers said she preferred her scooter to a bicycle.
"Because I'm lazy. That's why I got it in the first place, so I don't have to walk to school," she said. "It's just a lot more fun - it's faster."
Meltz agreed.
Riding bikes around the streets of Albuquerque is dangerous, he said.
"They cannot keep up with traffic, and that makes them dreadfully dangerous," he said. "Also - and this probably isn't the bicyclist's fault - American motorists don't recognize the bicycle as a valid piece of traffic. They are thought of as a kid's toy."
Some scooters can reach speeds of 70 mph, fast enough to drive on the highway, he said.
Myers has only one complaint with her scooter, she said.
"It gets a little cold in the winter," she said. "But it's not really any worse than driving in a cold car."
Meltz said the scooters in his store range from about $1,700 to about $4,700.
