Can scooters ride the routes?

[melanie10203]

Will cyclists get upset or is it against the law?  I'm not looking to stir up any trouble.  I want to go cross-country on a scooter but obviously I need to avoid highways and even some major roads can be tricky.  Sorry if the idea of a scooter on the route offends anyone but I don't know the rules of the route yet 

[staehpj1]

What routes are you considering and are you talking about a motorized scooter or non motorized one?

For the most part yes you can since most of the way on the AC routes you will be on public highways.  There are some sections of some routes where bike trails are used, and motorized traffic would not be welcome, but you can easily take alternate routes in those few cases.

I can't think of anywhere I I have been on an AC routes where you couldn't go with a non-motorized scooter.

For cross country, I have ridden the Trans America and the Southern Tier and see no reason you couldn't do either route on either type scooter.

[adventurepdx]

I can't think of anywhere I I have been on an AC routes where you couldn't go with a non-motorized scooter.

The only places I can think of would be the few places an ACA route uses an Interstate or freeway, like the Lewis and Clark route in the Columbia River Gorge or the Northern Tier re-route through North Dakota (is it ND?). As far as I know, scooters can't ride them because they're not fast enough to be on the through lanes of the freeway, yet can't ride the shoulder because it's a motorized vehicle.

[melanie10203]

Okay thanks guys!  It's a motorized scooter.  Not very fast at all, plus I'm scared to go fast anyway.  I'll start mapping out all the scenic routes and  maybe my GPS can direct me away from interstates and freeways so I can hop on and off the bike path when needed.  It'll add a week or two to my journey, but that's part of the adventure.  There's no way I'll be able to keep up with traffic.

[litespeedlujak]

I think you've made a wise choice sticking to ACA routes.  I like scooters also.  I believe 99% of the bicyclists would be happy to have you as company, so long as you buy the burritos at the Bell when you see them.  Lol. PEACE.

[staehpj1]

Sounds like fun.  Have a great trip.

[RussSeaton]

so I can hop on and off the bike path when needed.

NO.  Let me repeat so you understand, NO you cannot ride a motorized scooter on bike paths.  That is the rule/law in my state and I assume it applies to bike paths in other states.  Scooters, like the Italian Vespa ones, are not allowed on bike paths.  They are quasi motorcycles.  Motorized bicycles, bikes with a motor driving one of the wheels, are a different matter.

[sbear55]

A "motorized bicycle" is, plain and simple, a motorcycle.  All of this "pedal assist" and "e-bike" stuff is driving me crazy.  It's either human powered or it isn't. 

[BrianW]

I think the OP is using bike "route" and "path" interchangeably. I'm curious: where are you from Melanie? In Europe small scooters and mopeds are allowed on bike paths in some countries (Netherlands for example).

[staehpj1]

I think the OP is using bike "route" and "path" interchangeably.

That is my impression also.  I don't think she is planning to ride on bike paths.  I think she is referring to AC routes as bike parhs.

Motorized bicycles, bikes with a motor driving one of the wheels, are a different matter.

In many places motorized bicycles are not a different matter and are also banned from bike paths.  Probably varies with location though.  Personally I agree with sbear55 that if it has a motor it isn't a bike and many jurisdictions treat it as such wrt bike paths.

I do think that AC routes are for the most part pretty suitable for someone wanting to ride a scooter.  They may have short sections of interstate of bike path in them but in the case of the bike paths I have always seen a reasonable alternate route.  Just me, but...  On the relatively rare fairly short section of interstate where there is no alternative, I'd be willing to take a chance with riding the shoulder on the interstate.

[DaveB]

Motorized scooters come in a huge range of power and ability these days.  The slow, smoky two-stroke Vespas of the past have been replaced with similar, low power 4-stroke models with a top speed of maybe 35 - 40 mph up to 650cc 30+ HP models with top speeds near 100 mph.   "Slow" doesn't mean what it used to.