New riders, mopeds and the new wave..

[silverbak]

Sorry about this but I have the need to rant about something.

In the last couple of years the volume of bikes and mopeds has gone ballistic on the roads. Fair enough, that’s a good thing. But my rant is that the standard of riding and use of mopeds especially is beyond words.

Living in Wellington and travelling into the city everyday the things I see people doing on mopeds has me gobsmacked.

Almost everybody has helmet straps flapping in the wind, how stupid do you have to be not to fasten the strap? You might as well not wear the thing.

Saying that, I’ve seen moped riders riding without helmets, people of all ages, riding through the streets of Wellington, in peak traffic like it's the Mediterranean. I’ve seen a rider sat on the pillion seat, with his arms around the person in front controlling the bike !!! My mind boggles. This is ok on the beach with your kids, but come on, in city traffic!!

Riding home the other day, a young guy in a school uniform slid off on a simple bend, dinged his knee, bent the mirrors and pedals. I helped pick up the bike and told him to take it easy. Do these guys get any training?

And don’t get me started on the positions these take in the roads or the consideration when parking. Call me old fashioned but when I did my rider training and licence umpteen years ago, we were taught properly and safely. I want to grab every moped rider I see and tell them how to ride. Is this just me? Isn’t ACC going up because of more motorcycle accidents? Why should I care? And why do mobike shops advertise mopeds for sale to be driven on car licences.. “roll up roll up, buy a bike with no training or a licence and save on petrol”..

How many times I would like to be a copper and have the power to pull these people up.

[pritch]

I’ve seen a rider sat on the pillion seat, with his arms around the person in front controlling the bike !!! My mind boggles. This is ok on the beach with your kids, but come on, in city traffic!!

And don’t get me started on the positions these take in the roads or the consideration when parking.

My understanding was no pillions on mopeds but...

I hope you don't see me parking my moped :-) I'm likely to park on the footpath right beside the ATM. I didn't buy a moped so I could go for a walk.

Really though, parking a moped is different to parking a bike.

[firefighter]

I'm sure you were a noob once too, maybe youv'e just forgotten how bad you probably were? And I'm pretty sure it was a shite load easier back then, Iv'e heard tales of the local cop taking you for the test, and you went straight from learners to your full in like 6 months or less, and it was easy as pie, just go in and pay for it! my boss was telling me when he did his years ago the local cop took him, followed him for 15 minutes, that was it- none of the defensive driving etc of today.

[Katman]

I totally agree. As the numbers of motorcyclists increase there has to be an increase in (and a push for riders to make use of) the rider training available. Otherwise we are just transplanting dumbarses from four wheels onto two.

[silverbak]

Fair enough I was once a 17 year old idiot on a small bike. But to see a guy who must have been 45 to 50 riding without a helmet. You dont have to be a novice or a learner to have common sense.

[firefighter]

Fair enough I was once a 17 year old idiot on a small bike. But to see a guy who must have been 45 to 50 riding without a helmet. You dont have to be a novice or a learner to have common sense.

hahaha! really!!?? I haven't seen someone without a helmet in I don't know how long......bet he thought he looked real cool without his helmet on too I reakon you should have to have a bike licence to ride anything on two wheels, I disagree with the fact that you can go straight from your car onto a bike that is bloody dangerous....moped or not

[sunhuntin]

my experience of mopeds parking: take a bike park long enough to park 2 cars end to end. i used to be the only that used it. now, ive gotta share. i got there the other day, and there were 2 mopeds. they were parked tails in, but such a distance apart, there wasnt any room in the park for me without parking right behind a car and risking getting backed into. same again at the mall. room for roughly 6 fullsized bikes if parked correctly. i often get there and there are mopeds parked higeldy-pigeldy and no room for anyone else.

nothing wrong with them parking on the footpath or somewhere like that, so long as they abide the local rules, but inconsiderate parking in actual parks drives me nuts. the number of times ive see scoots parked tail end right up against the kerb in a CAR park... and how many cars start to pull in and then have to go back because they couldnt see the scoot due to it being so far back?

same goes for helmet straps. i pulled up a co worker who has a moped... he was gonna leave without doing it up. i made him sit there till it was done up. hell... i saw one chick the other day going around the block in a singlet, long pj pants and socks. dopey cow. i know i dont always wear all the gear, but pjs and socks???

[megageoff76]

Exactly right. The amount of scooter riders I see in Welly wearing skirts/jandals/high heel shoes/no gloves/tshirts/shorts..etc.

Makes me cringe everytime i see one. Id love to pull up next to them and point out their stupidity, but I doubt they would take any notice.

Most will find out the hard way unfortunately.

[silverbak]

You guys make me happy that I'm not the only one taking issue with these numbnuts.