Are electric scooters legal in NYC?

Vehicle size on NYC parkways

• I am about to purchase a motor scooter. It is legal for local street transportation in NYC. I need to know what the minimum vehicle specification is that would allow a motor scooter on the parkways. Motor scooters are generally expressed sized in engine size by volume (150cc, etc). I have a vague memory that there is a restriction on parkways of minimum 5 horsepower. Yet another person has suggested that restriction on parkways is by size of wheel on the vehicle. This can't be confirmed. So, can you identify what size motor scooter is allowed on the parkways either by engine size, horsepower, or wheel dimensions, speed capacity or any criteria? A parkway would be a thoroughfare with no lights or other traffic controls, multiple lanes and generally above 35 or 40 mph speeds. Thanks.

• Answer:

  Hi wensail, I got lucky, entered just the right phrases, and it was the 2nd result. It's a nifty page at the "I Scoot NY" website --they have a chart: I SCOOT NY - FAQ PAGE http://www.iscootny.com/scoot_faq.htm#law Read under the chart as well, there's a lot of info there, very cool site, poke around. Hope this helps. If you need further information about motor scooters in NYC, please ask for a clarification before rating this answer and I'll be glad to assist. ~~Cynthia Search terms used at Google: "new york" "motor scooter" regulations