WASHINGTON — A D.C. councilmember announced Tuesday proposed legislation that aims at the moped boom many have noticed in the District.
WUSA9 spoke with a group of moped drivers huddled at a McDonald's on Wisconsin Avenue in Teenlytown earlier this month and spoke with them as they waited for their next deliveries. They said mopeds are an affordable option to start delivery runs as they only cost around $2,000, don't require a special license, and are fuel-efficient.
It is unclear if the large spike in mopeds is due solely to delivery drivers in D.C. Regardless, many are unhappy about the sharp increase of mopeds around the District and two councilmembers have introduced legislation that would make it more expensive to operate mopeds.
Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau, D-Ward 1, and Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D) have proposed making sellers and renters of mopeds responsible for registration requirements, similar to the experience of buying or renting a car.
"...Mopeds are better for the environment and for traffic safety than cars, but without proper oversight, some drivers are flouting rules and creating dangerous situations without accountability," Nadeau said in a press release.
The Moped Registration Accountability Amendment Act of 2024 would require companies that rent out mopeds to register their vehicle fleet.
The companies selling mopeds would also be required to provide written notice of vehicle classification and registration requirements to customers before the sale.
Registering vehicles requires proof of insurance, however, D.C.'s vehicle rental law was written in 1978 and has not been substantively updated since then, meaning motorcycles and mopeds are currently exempt from that law.
Nadeau’s bill would forbid the practice of mislabeling vehicles when being sold to keep companies and customers from circumventing legal requirements.
“We are working to bring some order to the moped food delivery sector and hold sellers, renters, and operators of mopeds accountable,” Nadeau said.
Additionally, Nadeau's office said the councilmember is working to expand oversight by the Department of For-Hire Vehicles to include enforcement of food delivery services. This would be a first for any U.S. city.
“Public safety takes many forms and one of them is traffic safety,” Nadeau said. “We have an opportunity to better manage the operation of mopeds that helps entrepreneurs earn a living and all of us – pedestrians, cyclists, automobile drivers, and moped operators – to have safer streets.”
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