I will be relocating to Washington DC from Chicago in a few weeks, and am looking to get into scooting for my daily commute (about a three mile one way trip). I will be working near 17th and H Street, which is just NW of the White House.
Do any forum members know if scooter street/curb parking is available? A big driver for me will be the economics of it, if parking is significantly more than riding the bus I'll have a hard time convincing the significant other that the investment is worth it
Any parking/commuting advice is appreciated, as my online searches have been rather fruitless.
FYI - Looking into a kick but they seem hard to come by!
Check out the curb ninja app, it's super useful in philly to identify parking areas. And check with whoever runs DC's parking authority, here in philly we have the PPA (who are literally the devil), but at least we have 5$ all day OR free all day with parking permit corrals that are scooter and motorcycle only
PS Get a Kick, bug your dealer to order one if you have to
Always ready to ride in the Philly area, hit me up.
There is designated motorcycle parking spots in random areas of the town with fair prices. Also some parking lots have special motorcycle parking. Careful parking your scoot and locking it to bicycle racks. The bicyclists in DC are elitists and will have no problem vandalizing your scoot. Never park your scoot on the curb, DC has one of the most high tech ticketing/towing systems in the nation. If your scoot doesn't need motorcycle plates you might be able to avoid tickets.
I second do not park a scooter on the sidewalk even if you see other people do it. If the DC parking enforcement decides to come after you, it will be a minimum $100 parking ticket.
Three miles each way? I know this is going to sound crazy but have you considered a electric bicycle? Pedal assist or straight power on demand, you wont arrive to work sweaty, you wont have to suffer a weight penalty with fenders, rear rack/bag(s), BIG lock and the cyclist will at least tolerate you! They even make cargo style models that double as a passenger seat in the rear.
Thanks for all the tips. I downloaded the parking ninja app, that looks like the way to go. Most corrals show metered parking for $0.25/hour which isn't bad.
As far as the electric bike goes, I'm looking to have the shortest commute time possible so I can get home to my 3 year old. Also, I just kind of want a new fun hobby
Now time to read up on the motorcycle license test...
troympierce wrote:Now time to read up on the motorcycle license test...
No, the better idea is to do the local MSF course. That gets you a motorcycle license and two days of good skills and safety training. Trust me, riding in DC traffic you will need all the edge you can acquire.
D.C. rider here.. I've parked on U Street, H Street, Tenleytown, Gallery Place and haven't gotten a ticket yet. I'm nervous about parking in Foggy though. I always see scooters parked on the sidewalk but haven't tried it yet. I'll follow up in two weeks when I'm back at school.
Also on the motorcycle license D.C. is a pain in the butt. You have to take the MSF course in either VA or MD (Nova CC has discounted classes), then take the written test.
