NEWS

MSU moving mopeds to make way for bikes

RJ Wolcott
Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING - Michigan State University is addressing the staggering spread of mopeds on campus with new regulations.

A girl on a moped scoots her way through flooded streets Friday, April 7, 2017, on the campus of Michigan State University.

Mopeds won't be allowed to park at bike racks beginning this fall. Instead, students can either purchase a $50 pass to park in designated spaces in 17 non-gated lots or park their mopeds at metered or pay-by-place spaces.

The changes are expected to go into effect Aug. 30. A map of designated lots is available below.

A map of designated moped parking locations on Michigan State University's campus. Moped parking restrictions will go into effect August 30.

MSU has seen a 150% increase in moped use since 2012, according to Doug Monette, public information officer with the MSU Police Department. The increase has put bike-rack space near residence halls and other popular destinations at a premium. 

But it's precisely the ability to drive up to class buildings and park easily that makes mopeds an attractive option for students, said Jack Viazanko, a junior who started a Change.org petition seeking to reverse the planned changes.

"MSU is essentially taking all the benefits of owning a moped away," Viazanko said.

MSU officials also are concerned about the hazard to pedestrians created by moped users driving on sidewalks to get to bike racks, said John Prush, a deputy director of the MSU Police Department.

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To make room for mopeds, MSU is converting standard parking spaces in more than a dozen parking lots. For each of those spaces, Prush said, MSU will get four moped spots. Exactly how many spaces will be converted is still being worked out. Parking a moped at a bike rack or parking in a designated moped space without a permit will be punishable by a $25 fine.

Changes to moped regulations at MSU were recommended by MSU's All University Traffic and Transportation Committee. The committee's next meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday in the MSU Police Community Room..

For more information on the changes, visit mopeds.police.msu.edu Online moped registration opens July 1.

Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr.