What’s up with all the sketchy moped drivers?

[Anonymous]

I mean I get it. I know why. But it’s not great to have a ton of dudes wearing bike helmets driving $500 dollar Temu mopeds weaving in and out of traffic like we’re in fking São Paulo. These drivers pay no respect to traffic laws and many have no actual license. It’s just been a weird trend in the last few years. Glad the city is cracking down.

[Anonymous]

I believe the city is cracking down

[Anonymous]

Seems like a Darwin Awards candidate but I also worry about them hitting pedestrians or causing car accidents with other victims.

Agree it's good the city is "cracking down" but also -- I have not noticed any actual decline in the mopeds or their dangerous behavior so I don't have a ton of faith in the city to do anything here. Can anyone report whether they've ever seen any of the city's supposed measures in action or seen any benefits from them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean I get it. I know why. But it’s not great to have a ton of dudes wearing bike helmets driving $500 dollar Temu mopeds weaving in and out of traffic like we’re in fking São Paulo. These drivers pay no respect to traffic laws and many have no actual license. It’s just been a weird trend in the last few years. Glad the city is cracking down.

Welcome to July 2024. Were you born yesterday?

[Anonymous]

What are you on about? State your point.

[Anonymous]

PEDESTRIANS: Mayor Bowser, save us from the dangerous out of control drivers in DC who drive 20+ over the speed limit, blowing red lights by five seconds, blasting horns at pedestrians in crosswalks, parking in the middle of crosswalks and no parking zones, please help us!

MAYOR BOWSER: No.

DRIVERS: Mayor Bowser, save us from these poor black and brown people who are driving mopeds around the city as they try to survive in this incredibly expensive city! I am tired of having to take responsibility for the safe operation of my four ton murder machine and be careful and considerate about other people on DC streets. Save us now!

MAYOR BOWSER: At your service! Don't wait a minute longer. I'm on top of it!

[Anonymous]

I am extremely sensitive to pedestrian safety and honestly, the moped drivers seem to be generally following traffic laws quite well. I mean the ones who appear Latino (Venezuela?) and doing deliveries. The joyriders are a different story.

[Anonymous]

This is DC. The only traffic laws we enforce are those that can be enforced by cameras. If you're a drunk driver or you're on a moped or on a bicycle or you're a 12 year old on an ATV, you are free to do whatever you want, whenever you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PEDESTRIANS: Mayor Bowser, save us from the dangerous out of control drivers in DC who drive 20+ over the speed limit, blowing red lights by five seconds, blasting horns at pedestrians in crosswalks, parking in the middle of crosswalks and no parking zones, please help us!

MAYOR BOWSER: No.

DRIVERS: Mayor Bowser, save us from these poor black and brown people who are driving mopeds around the city as they try to survive in this incredibly expensive city! I am tired of having to take responsibility for the safe operation of my four ton murder machine and be careful and considerate about other people on DC streets. Save us now!

MAYOR BOWSER: At your service! Don't wait a minute longer. I'm on top of it!

You the award for dumbest comment of the day. Also, as a factual matter, most drivers in DC are black and brown.

[Anonymous]

I see them frequently using the bike lanes in downtown DC. I wonder how the powerful bike lobby feels about it.

[Anonymous]

I think the problem has been exaggerated. I find all of the car drivers staring at their phones while driving to be the much bigger hazard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean I get it. I know why. But it’s not great to have a ton of dudes wearing bike helmets driving $500 dollar Temu mopeds weaving in and out of traffic like we’re in fking São Paulo. These drivers pay no respect to traffic laws and many have no actual license. It’s just been a weird trend in the last few years. Glad the city is cracking down.

This

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see them frequently using the bike lanes in downtown DC. I wonder how the powerful bike lobby feels about it.

They should be encouraged to use the bike lanes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like a Darwin Awards candidate but I also worry about them hitting pedestrians or causing car accidents with other victims.

Agree it's good the city is "cracking down" but also -- I have not noticed any actual decline in the mopeds or their dangerous behavior so I don't have a ton of faith in the city to do anything here. Can anyone report whether they've ever seen any of the city's supposed measures in action or seen any benefits from them.

I think the city cracked down for, like, two days.

I see guys on mopeds, without license plates, going through stop signs at 40mph. I assume they will eventually all die.

[Anonymous]

It’s insane. There is no respect for traffic laws. I get that these folks want to get paid and have families, but it’s comical to see this kind of behavior. It just feels like an erosion of social norms. Between the ATV bikers which basically have free rein and now moped drivers who wear Bell bike helmets and zip around wearing everywhere…it’s like what do we pay taxes for? A weak azz progressive city council that barely wants to fight crime because it’s “inequitable” to arrest anyone and then these dudes who have sprouted up in like the last three years just flouting traffic laws so they can get their delivery of Shake Shack to some apartment on time. I’m liberal, but I seriously wish liberals weren’t so limp wrested on law and order. Just utterly useless. We finally passed a crime bill (which Charles Allen somehow is now claiming he was responsible for), but we still have so much farther to go.