(Truffelboy shot this photo of FREE SCOOTER PARKING in action)
Check it! THIS Summer Piaggio is hooking you up with FREE scooter parking downtown. If your scoot’s got a Vespa Badge If you got a two wheeled scooter you can join in on the freeness (sorry MP3′s miss it by ONE wheel). There is room for 12 scooter per participating garage; that’s 48 spaces total! The press release below gives you all the details.
Piaggio Group Americas Partners with Edison ParkFast to Provide Free Scooter Parking During the Summer in New YorkParking initiative continues the call to arms for development and support of legal parking for two-wheel vehicles
NEW YORK, NY – July 11, 2007 – Piaggio Group Americas, the U.S. importer of the world-famous Vespa® scooter, today announced that the company is sponsoring a limited free parking program for scooters at Edison ParkFast garages in New York City during the summer to raise awareness of the need for scooter parking across the country. Piaggio Group is funding scooter parking for locals, commuters and NY Scooter Club meetings throughout the summer.
Relative to cars, trucks and SUV’s, motor scooters are an environmentally-friendly means of transportation that help alleviate city congestion and should be included on the list of vehicles exempt from the proposed congestion tariff.
To demonstrate the need for legal scooter parking on city streets to local government officials and to prompt private garage operators to expand and/or add scooter parking to their list of accepted vehicles, Piaggio Group has instituted free parking for two-wheel vehicles in Edison ParkFast garages. Specially-marked parking spots in the participating garages will accommodate 12 two-wheel scooters and will be branded with the Vespa logo. During the months of July and August, riders can park their scooters free of charge (when space is available and in accordance to program rules) at any of the following locations:
* Chinatown — 174 Centre Street, between Hester and Canal Streets
* Midtown — 412-422 W. 33rd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues
* Theater District — 1120 Avenue of the Americas, near 44th Street (enter on 43rd Street)
* Tribeca — 15-21 Worth Street, between Worth Street and West Broadway“The popularity of the two-wheel vehicle is on the rise. Piaggio Group recognizes the need to do our part in helping scooter owners find adequate, safe and legal parking in New York and in cities around the country,” said Paolo Timoni, President and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas. “Funding free parking during the summer brings our city one step closer to allotting appropriate parking, but we plan to continue reaching out to local government officials to demonstrate both the need for and benefit of scooter parking.”
To promote the program, titled “Free Parking in NYC?” Piaggio Group Americas will send teams of Vespa branded ambassadors to high traffic locations in New York City to distribute pocket brochures highlighting the free Edison ParkFast locations and other facts on how scootering can help to curb global warming now. They will also conduct their own internal website and email campaign, plus seeding of blogs and scooter group message boards.
This free scooter parking initiative, a continuation of Piaggio Group’s “Vespanomics” campaign, continues to position two-wheel vehicles as a solution that could greatly reduce energy consumption, while helping to preserve the environment and alleviate traffic congestion. Studies have shown that if Americans were to utilize one of the latest eco-friendly motor scooters for just 10 percent of their everyday travel, they could potentially reduce national fuel consumption by 14 million gallons of gasoline per day and decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 324 million pounds per day. (Source: ICR on behalf of Piaggio Group, May 2006)
The Vespanomics campaign is designed to further educate consumers on how the use of motorized scooters, like Vespa, can quickly reduce their oil consumption, carbon dioxide emissions and traffic congestion. In 2006, Piaggio Group launched the online petition, “Vespatition” on the Vespa USA Web site, to create a venue for consumers to express their support for two-wheel parking. Piaggio Group is also working with local government officials, community board districts and urban planners to increase support for legal two-wheel parking wherever parking for motor vehicles is provided.
Great job Piaggio! I hope this grows! (are you listening Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Phoenix, San Diego, San Jose, Indianapolis, Austin?)I’d like to send a big “I’m sorry” to the other scooterists of NYC. Maybe it’s time to invest in one of these. (I gotta learn how to read. Thanks Anon!)
Just look for the spots with the Vespa logo! It’s really a good deal considering SOME parking spots go for $225,000! Don’t believe me? Look here.
***UPDATE***
Above you see what the article in the NYTimes looks like. Thanks Allison from the NY Scooter Club.
13. July 2007 at 3:06 pm
I didn’t see anything in the article that would indicate to me that non-Vespa branded scooters aren’t permitted to participate in the free parking. The closest mention I saw was that the parking spaces would be “Vespa branded”, but I just assume that it’s a Vespa logo and maybe some advertising that marks the free parking spaces.
My impression is that ANY scooter can take advantage of this offer.
13. July 2007 at 3:24 pm
Got that. Good lookin’ out. I need to start posting AFTER I’ve had my first cuppa coffee.
13. July 2007 at 3:54 pm
No sweat! I’m glad you got a photo of the spots…it looks like multilevel parking rather than street level? If so, it’s a shame the scooters have to park exposed to the weather. But it’s free, so…
13. July 2007 at 4:40 pm
No! Some are street level too. Check out these:
http://tinyurl.com/2tdbdm
13. July 2007 at 5:26 pm
I read that the parking is for all two-wheel vehicles. Vespa USA picked outdoor lots and indoor garages!
13. July 2007 at 8:21 pm
You know what they should do is record the average number of commuters per car parked in a space and compare that to the number of scooter commuters in one “car parking space”. We know there are at least 6 people per scooter space and likely 1.5 per car space.
Another thing is… they should divide a couple of spaces into 6 two-wheeled spaces and charge the riders 1/6th of the cost if not have the government subsidize them and make ‘em free, permanently!
Just an idea.
13. July 2007 at 8:22 pm
That should have read:
“We know there are at least 6 people per scooter filled, car parking space and likely 1.5 per car filled, car space.”
14. July 2007 at 12:48 pm
On the subject of free parking, Los Angeles airport offers free motorcycle parking in all of its central terminal lots – you know, the lots RIGHT NEXT TO THE TERMINAL ENTRANCES.
I figure the pilots must have been involved in that decision. Those flyboys love their motorcycles.
I’m actually writing this from an LAX terminal as we speak.
http://www.lawa.org/lax/parkingrate.cfm
Rick R.
17. July 2007 at 7:53 am
I feel a bit sorry for those “Vespa branded ambassadors.” I hope the Vespa badges are just glued to their chests, rather than riveted.