BOSTON — Moped drivers are all too often seen breaking the laws of the road to deliver food. Now, Boston city officials and law enforcement are cracking down, arresting three drivers this week.
Dangerous drivers
On Monday, police arrested three drivers in Boston’s Back Bay for failing to obey the law and seized 13 mopeds.
“We have seen delivery motorcycles run red lights, drive on sidewalks and bike paths, go the wrong-way down one way streets, fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks,” said Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Chief of Streets for Boston.
While the crackdown may seem like progress, moped enforcement remains difficult. Daniel Humphreys, Deputy Superintendent for the Boston Police Department, said some scooter drivers simply refuse to stop. “We are not going to have the officers pursue that individual,” Humphreys said.
At a city council meeting on Tuesday, members said the responsibility of safe moped drivers falls on food delivery companies like DoorDash and Grubhub.
DoorDash’s new safety plan
DoorDash has announced a new safety plan that will start with Boston, creating a liaison between their law enforcement response team and BPD. All drivers will have to submit up-to-date photos of themselves for identification.
DoorDash will also be putting out a new public service announcement to drivers about road safety.
“The new program is a good first start, there is more that can and should be done,” said Franklin-Hodge. “We are pushing delivery companies to be more accountable.”
Councilors say they have started talking with MassDOT over common sense regulation such as mandatory vehicle registrations and insurance. They say it is possible, but companies refuse to do it. Franklin-Hodge says unregistered vehicles remain one of the biggest issues with enforcement.
Moped parking
Franklin-Hodge was asked if mopeds could be banned for delivery drivers. He said that car-only deliveries would only further traffic problems.
“On Boylston Street in the Back Bay, we are testing a dedicated parking area for two-wheeled delivery vehicles,” he said.
The dedicated parking area aims to fix moped build-up around street curbs.
“We cannot wait while our busiest streets become more clogged with delivery vehicles,” he said. “We can’t sit by while a multibillion dollar industry profits, while looking the other way as its workforce ignores the rules of the road.”
