Nine mopeds were seized in downtown Boston on Monday amid a crackdown on dangerous driving on city streets, particularly concerning food delivery drivers.
Officers were conducting moped and motorcycle enforcement just after 5 p.m. near the intersection of Franklin and Washington streets, Boston police said.
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The officers, who were on foot patrol, stopped the vehicles in the pedestrian zone of Washington Street, where no cars are allowed to travel in, according to police.
The nine mopeds were confiscated for various motor vehicle law violations, police said.
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Police reminded residents that vehicles are strictly prohibited in the Downtown Crossing pedestrian zone. Other pedestrian zones are located at the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall.
The city warned food delivery companies last month that they needed to train their drivers to follow the rules. Now they're cracking down, following the lead of other cities like New York City and Washington, Dc.
“It’s not safe to me. I see them out here all the time they are lawless," said catering driver Tory Pumpi.
“I’ve had situations where I’ve had to step on a brake because one of the guys would cut me off and it’s just it’s not safe," Pumpi added.
NBC10 Boston camera caught drivers going through red lights, driving on pedestrian zones, and even traveling across pedestrian-only areas.
One delivery driver we confronted, who did not speak English, said he didn't know he wasn't allowed to ride in the pedestrian zones.
Camilo Rodriguez, another food delivery driver, told us in Spanish that he was once summonsed to court for not having the proper permit for his moped. He immediately went to obtain the permit, and the judge let it go after that.
Drivers can be fined or have their moped towed if they break state traffic laws, including driving over 25 mph, failing to register their bike, or not wearing a helmet.
Earlier this month, 13 mopeds were seized and three people were arrested after complaints were piling up about mopeds blocking traffic and driving erratically in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood.
