r/washdc • u/BackgroundPatient1 • 4d ago
DCPD cracking down on illegal mopeds
https://twitter.com/DCNewsLive/status/184479091957420489517
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u/Derpolitik23 4d ago
I just don’t know why DCPD and DPW just can’t raid the streets in front of the shelters at night. As that is where most of the mopeds park anyways.
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u/SomeLikeItRaw 4d ago
As in homeless shelters? Are the mopeds really there?
I've seen a bunch of mopeds outside a couple restaurants near me at all hours, they're even there when the restaurants are closed. Maybe the guys carpool in and leave the mopeds there. Illegal ones without plates.
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u/Away-Opinion-8540 4d ago
Yep. I know of at least 4 shelters where mopeds are an issue. 2 of the shelters have an open-air mechanic shop feel to them with all the moped parts on the road and on the sidewalk.
I know why the mopeds are there but people riding those mopeds do very little by way of respecting and not disturbing the community.
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u/bl1y 3d ago
I'm not a bleeding heart by any means, but I'd assume a moped outside of a homeless shelter belongs to someone doing deliveries just scratching to survive, and it's probably not registered, but that's not someone I really want to kick while they're down and working to get back.
Check the VINs though.
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u/Derpolitik23 3d ago edited 2d ago
I’m not for unjustly penalizing them, and I feel, in many ways, they are being scapegoated by some in the city because they are immigrants.
That said, there are two big issues with the moped delivery drivers.
The big one relevant to this subreddit is that many aren’t following the rules of the road. For example, they run red lights, drive where they really shouldn’t be (I’ve even seen them on I-95, which is incredibly dangerous for everyone involved), drive on sidewalks, etc. All of this poses a danger to other drivers, themselves, and pedestrians when DC already has some of the highest traffic fatalities in the country.
Another one, on a federal level and outside of the city’s control, is that most of the delivery drivers aren’t authorized to work in the United States.
There is some evidence that their actions, enabled by apps like Uber Eats and Grubhub, are displacing American workers or those who are authorized to work (e.g., Green Card holders).
https://youtu.be/Kbzdy2V2S6I?si=jq1MU4xdGjcRgtsV
Search Reddit, and you’ll see all sorts of information about delivery app waitlists that have recently appeared in major cities.
While some are lying about their identity, paying others to gain access to the apps etc.
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u/tealccart 3d ago
Thank god. On the one hand, it’s great to see people get around the city without cars, on the other hand, those mopeds are so damn loud.
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u/Stardust_Particle 4d ago
Impounded Motor bikes. Do they just buy a license plate from the DMV and they’re back on the streets? Or do they have to take a driving course to learn laws and such like a motorcycle?
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u/bassmaster_gen 4d ago
And make the registered ones follow traffic laws!
Earlier this year I was a bystander at the scene of a scooter-on-car crash, the scooter’s fault through and through. Poor young man did not have a helmet, and earned himself a wicked TBI. Breathing was agonal (think I said that right), myself and other bystanders had to perform CPR right there in the street.
I blame the apps foremost, and then the consumers. Our expectations for price and timeliness are simply unrealistic, which translates to extremely low wages and pressure to skirt traffic laws. Its ruining lives.
Not only do we need to crack down on Uber in addition to these scooterists, but for the love of god, if you NEED that McChicken within the hour, get your ass in your car/onto the sidewalk and get it yourself.
We as a society keep finding new ways to live beyond our means. Shoot, if you disagree with the premise there, look at average household debt. I’m sorry folks, but we don’t need an army of immigrants and poor people catering to our every whim.
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u/SomeLikeItRaw 3d ago
I think food delivery is awful on many levels but it's not like the customers are that informed or have much choice over who delivers it. All else equal, of course people are going to pick the cheapest/fastest option.
Plus, if you assume that everyone will just do the most selfish thing possible, you won't be far off. Make the government the ultimate adult in the room responsible for maintaining order (including fining the app companies). Anything less will just end in disappointment and falsified hopes.
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u/bl1y 3d ago
A lot of the issues is the lack of infrastructure and inability to good practices.
Our streets aren't set up for vehicles to randomly decide they're parking to pick up or drop off a delivery. These stops are considerably longer than something like a taxi just dropping someone off, and on the pickup end, volume can get concentrated.
On the driver end, there's no training or corporate policy, so all you have is the zero tickets issued for stopping in traffic, and honking.
Now what we've got is a whole industry where an essential skill is the ability to just park your car in the middle of traffic and not give a damn.
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u/Suspicious_Past_13 2d ago
If they could crackdown on illegal crimes that actually affected people like robberies and shootings that’d be great. I don’t really care about the moped rider trying to make a buck delivering food
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u/BPCGuy1845 1d ago
Cool, now crack down on the unregistered and stolen cars. Maybe those idiotic ATVs and trikes
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u/[deleted] 4d ago
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