Q:So what should the poor motorist have done who was road-raged at on Powhite Parkway recently? You printed a response from the state police about possible fines but nothing about what the motorist should have done. The motorist took a cell-phone photo of the offending driver. Is there a way for the motorist to complain online or e-mail the photos to police? -- Marsha G.

Answer: With very limited exceptions, an officer can make charges or arrests only for these types of offenses if they are observed personally, said Tom Lambert of the state police.

"Motorists can always call #77 (if on the interstate) or 911 (if on local roads) to report violators," he said. "In addition, any person can go to the magistrate in the jurisdiction in which the offense occurs and attempt to take out a misdemeanor warrant against the violator."

The key word is "attempt." It will be largely up to the magistrate whether to issue a warrant.

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Q:What is the deal with these motor scooters and mo-peds on the road? I know they get great gas mileage, but are they allowed in the traveling lanes? I've seen them in the right and left lanes! No license plate, no registration, and I would bet no insurance. Are these things legal to ride in traffic? -- E.M.

 

Answer: I tried researching this in the Code of Virginia. My conclusion is that the people who write Virginia's laws must not come from around here: They sure don't talk like the rest of us.

Case in point: the law's definition of a scooter. According to the law, a scooter doesn't have a seat. It's one of those things also known as a "motorized skateboard."

So I asked Lambert of the state police for some guidance. Here's what I found:

Motor scooters -- the vehicles with seats -- sometimes are lumped in with motorcycles, depending on engine size. Scooters with engines bigger than 150 cubic centimeters are deemed motorcycles and can be driven on the streets. But drivers are required to meet the same requirements as motorcyclists, such as having a license.

(While searching the Web, I learned that there are scooters with large engines. The Suzuki Burgman 650 has a 638 cc engine. There's a video on YouTube of one going 100 mph. Yikes! Someone was in a big hurry to get groceries.)

"What most people call a scooter falls under the definition of mo-ped," Lambert said. A mo-ped has an engine that displaces less than 50 cc. It can be ridden on the streets like a bicycle, but only by drivers 16 and older. And drivers generally are supposed to ride as close to the right curb as possible so as to not block traffic.

In Virginia, dealers who sell mo-peds are required to make sure the vehicles have a permanent decal or sticker that states they cannot be ridden by people younger than 16.

Then there are "motor-driven cycles." They have a gasoline engine of less than 150 cc and have no manufacturer-issued vehicle identification number. "Motor-driven cycles cannot meet the inspection and registration requirements and are illegal to operate on the roads," Lambert said.

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Q:When will an advance green light be installed at Belvidere and Grace streets allowing cars to turn left from Grace onto Belvidere without being hit? I defy any car to turn left from Grace Street to Belvidere between 4:45 and 5:45 p.m. without having to run a red light or become stuck in the intersection. This is extremely dangerous. -- Karen F.

 

Answer: I asked city spokesman Chris Dettmar about this. Here is what he said:

"The addition of a left turn 'advance' from Grace Street onto Belvidere Street would create a potentially dangerous traffic situation for drivers traveling on Belvidere. By minimizing the amount of green time the denser Belvidere traffic would be afforded, rear-end crashes would likely increase."

So unless the city detects a pattern of accidents involving left turns there, signal turning phases will not be added, he said.