Most of us have seen those new motorized scooters zooming around town. Turns out — they’re illegal. At least it’s against the law to ride them on public streets, sidewalks, bike trails and most other places. Dena Gray-Fisher is a spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Transportation. She says the only place you can ride motorized scooters, electrified bicycles and other types of personal transport vehicles are private property and with permission. Gray-Fisher says once a scooter or bike is accentuated with a battery or some other sort of gas or electric power, it’s considered a motor vehicle. She says they can -only- be ridden on private property. Fisher says the Razor-brand type of scooters which are powered only by shoving off with your feet are perfectly legal. The motorized scooters cannot be licensed because they don’t meet minimum safety requirements for a motor vehicle. Gray-Fisher says a state prosecutor’s office is sending letters this month to all county attorneys in Iowa, bringing attention to the violations.Violators of the law would be subject to local ordinances, which vary from city-to-city. She says anyone who considers buying a motorized scooter should consider first where it will be used.
