Regulating motorized scooters

From CBS New York:

Two New York lawmakers from Queens have introduced bills to regulate motorized bicycles used commercially with safety and insurance requirements.

Sen. Jose Peralta and Assembly member Aravella Simotas are pushing for the Department of Motor Vehicles to maintain a registry, establish safety regulations, and set minimum liability insurance coverage.

Under the bills, drivers would have to register them with the DMV and traffic infractions would be punishable by fines of $25 to $100.

The scooters, according to the lawmakers, have become part of the fabric of small businessesmaking deliveries throughout New York City. They said attempts to ban them haven’t worked, and accidents can create big liability issues.

Simotas said she’s heard from too many people about near misses and being hit by riders.

Peralta told 1010 WINS the City Council banned delivery scooters in 2004, but since then the number of scooters has actually increased.

Sandy victims hit with DMV charges

From the Daily News:

John Quintana’s three cars parked in front of his Coney Island home were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy.

But like thousands of other New Yorkers the veteran sanitation worker was hit with hundreds in extra registration fees by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicle's office to complete the paperwork for his new vehicles.

Now, a local state pol is urging the Cuomo administration to waive those added costs for Sandy victims.

“The state has an obligation to do everything we can to help these families who have suffered so much,” said state Assemblyman William Colton (D- Bensonhurst).

An estimated 200,000 vehicles citywide were ruined by Sandy's salt water surge, Colton said.

As a result, Cuomo announced a plan to eliminate dozens of bureaucratic charges for various state services, including waiving the $28 DMV fee for replacement registration documents.

But that did little to help Quintana, 59, who was forced to fork over nearly $800 in registration fees and to cover costs to transfer his old license plates to his three new cars.

Used car seller in hot water

From the NY Post:

A Queens used-car dealer will be driving off into the sunset — unless a judge overturns sanctions from the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

Auto Palace of Woodside was hit with two rulings: One would suspend its business certificate for 90 days; the other would revoke it permanently.

The dealership is going to Queens Supreme Court to fight the rulings, which were based on violations including charging customers for DMV and other documents that Auto Palace never filed. The dealership denies the accusations.

On another front, Auto Palace, which received an F grade from the Better Business Bureau, also faces a possible revocation of its business license by city regulators, sources told The Post.

Photo from Sunnyside Post.