Scoot, Scoot, Scoot

The Wall Street Journal has a whimsical article on the increasing popularity of motor scooters. With this trend America's going to look like an old Italian movie. Scooter manufacturers tried to make sales by being retro and cool, but instead it was $4 plus per gallon gas prices that have got people considering this throwback to simpler days.

Scooters are ideal form of transportation when one remembers that the vast majority of auto trips in the U.S. are five miles or less. (see "Trapped in the Suburbs" a few posts ago). And most trips are "errands" not requiring the space to carry things.

One challenge to scooter adoption is that in most states scooters require a motorcycle license and this was something that has deterred me from getting one. It makes sense safety wise, it's just a pain. But maybe no more painful that $5 plus per gallon gasoline.