Take this with a grain of salt, but Vespa claims in a new study it financed, that more motorized scooters on the street could save New Yorkers 4.6 million hours per year sitting in traffic – or 100 hours a person.
The Piaggio Group, manufacturer of the Vespa, commissioned a study from former transportation commissioner “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz on how motorized scooters could cut down on traffic.
If 20% of Manhattan automobile traffic switched to scooters, Schwartz found:
* 4.6 million hours would be saved
* CO2 emissions would drop by 26,000 tons
* Fuel consumption would drop by 2.5 million gallons
* New Yorkers would save a collective $122 million
* Vespa executives would make more money! Mama mia!
The last item was facetious, of course, but you always got to be careful of sponsored studies.
Expect some kind of announcement today.
Read amNewYork's special on the Vespa.
-- Chuck Bennett
