Melinda - Meetup Organizer of the Week - 6.11.08

This week we're in Seattle, Washington to visit with an Organizer who's Meetup blends perfectly with her work, interests and community outreach initiatives. Join me as we visit with the Meetup Organizer of the Week, Melinda McBride.

The Seattle Scooter Meetup Group.

"We started selling scooters because we believe they're the most practical, affordable green vehicles available today and we want to encourage their use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help relieve traffic congestion and well as reduce other negative environmental impacts."

-Melinda McBride

With gasoline prices reaching $4 per gallon and concern for our own carbon footprints, many people have set their sights on alternative methods of transportation. Not everyone can utilize mass transit, but according to Melinda, most everyone can successful navigate with a scooter.

She has created an haven and advocacy for scooter aficionados as well as newbies to the thriving scooter community in Seattle.

Her interest took her to opening Scooter Gallery Seattle and currently The Seattle Scooter Meetup is sponsoring upcoming community-based festivals and scooter-awareness events as well as lobbying the City of Seattle to develop more scooter-friendly policies (more information and links below).

She's a special person, immersed in her work and service for the scooter community in Seattle. Read on!

When did you become interested in riding/owning a scooter?

My partner Alex Sargeant and I purchased our first scooter way back in 1981, a new Yamaha Riva 180. It was our only vehicle and we rode it everywhere. I remember many trips to the Pike Place Market to buy fruits and vegetables. Alex drove and I sat behind him holding shopping bags full of produce on each arm. We still use our scooter to go to the farmers markets, but now we shop at the West Seattle Farmers Market near where we live.

We even took our Riva up to Mount Rainer. It got really great gas mileage on the trip back (downhill).

We’ve had several motorcycles, mostly Italian, in the intervening years, and got back into scooters when we opened Scooter Gallery Seattle in 2004.

Which make/model to you prefer to ride?

We’re currently riding a Schwinn Sport LX 150 (current version is the Valo) because it’s very roomy and comfortable for two riders. Alex and I have a 12-mile (one way) commute from our home in West Seattle to our shop in Seattle’s University District (near the University of Washington), and we find the Sport/Valo is ideal for our daily ride.

We also have a Chang Jiang, a rebuilt 1981 Chinese police sidecar motorcycle, that we take out for excursions.

Tell us about your shop, Scooter Gallery Seattle.

Alex and I opened Scooter Gallery Seattle in 2004. Our first product was the Diamo Velux convertible scooter, which had a folding top. We thought it was the perfect Seattle scooter for year-round riding in our temperate but rainy climate. We sold lots of those scooters, but unfortunately, the manufacturer stopped importing them in 2006. We still do a brisk business selling used ones whenever they’re available.

We picked up the Schwinn line in 2005 and Keeway in 2007.

We started selling scooters because we believe they’re the most practical, affordable green vehicles available today and we want to encourage their use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help relieve traffic congestion, as well as reduce other negative environmental impacts. Not everyone can ride the bus, walk, or bicycle, but almost everyone can ride a scooter and get 80 to 100+ mpg.

How has your Meetup group impacted your life?

The biggest impact, of course, has been the opportunity to meet up with and get to know folks in Seattle’s thriving scooter community. Since I took over as organizer in March 2005, we’ve had a ride every month except one, this past February, when it snowed. Many new scooterists have had the opportunity to gain confidence and improve their riding skills by exploring the city on our group rides.

While I handle most of the Meetup administration, Alex usually plans and leads the rides, and he finds interesting parts of the city to explore where you wouldn’t normally go. So I’ve also gotten to know my city a little better from the back of a scooter.

Your group has had a hand in sponsoring the upcoming first annual All City Community Scooter Day. Tell us how this event came about and your participation in it.

With gas prices reaching $4/gallon, lots of people are considering scooters for the first time. So the different scooter clubs in Seattle (some count up to 70 different clubs, although membership overlaps) decided to create an event to gather the whole scooter community together, including people who are just purchasing they’re first scooter or are stating to think about scooters.

This will be an opportunity for people to learn about basic riding skills and safety from the folks who teach the Basic Rider Course that prepares people to get their motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s license, to check out the new models from different scooter manufacturers, to learn about the scooter community and scooter clubs, and to show support for scooters as a green transportation alternative.

The scooter community in Seattle has been lobbying the city to develop more scooter-friendly policies (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/354494_scooter11.html), and this event will also help continue the momentum in that direction.

Would you share with us your most memorable Meetup event?

A couple of years ago we took the ferry from downtown Seattle over to Bainbridge Island and toured the wineries there. We had about 16 riders and went to three wineries, including Bainbridge Island Winery & Vineyards where we got to see where they actually grow the grapes they make the wine from. We were lucky to have a beautiful September day and enjoyed a nice ferry ride and some great wine tasting.

Do you have any other big plans in the works for 2008?

We’ll be participating in Seattle’s Pride Parade on June 29 with SQREAM, Seattle’s LBGTQ scooter group, and in Scooter Insanity, Seattle’s annual scooter rally, July 4, 5, and 6, sponsored by Vespa Club of Seattle.

We hope membership in The Seattle Scooter Meetup Group will top 400 by the end of 2008 (we're currently have 323 members).

What are your hopes for the future of The Seattle Scooter Meetup Group?

I see scooters continuing to become more popular as people look for ways to save gas and help the environment. I hope The Seattle Scooter Meetup Group will be a place where new and experienced scooter riders can share information, increase their riding skills, create community, and, of course, have fun together.