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Piaggio Cites Relevancy To 'Urban Mobility Report'
- by Nina Lentini @Nina_Lentini, July 7, 2009
Today, as the Texas Transportation
Institute (TTI) issues its biannual "Urban Mobility Report," Piaggio USA is reaching out via public relations to four-wheel drivers, encouraging them to switch to scooters to reduce traffic congestion
and pollution and to save money on gasoline. Paolo Timoni, President and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas, tells Marketing Daily that he finds it odd that, although scooter usage around the world has risen, "somehow only in North America is the usage of two wheels very limited. For the past three, four years, we have tried to encourage the [TTI] to learn about scooters, to consider them as a solution."
When the last study was released in 2007, it found Americans are wasting a collective $78 billion and an average 40 hours a year sitting in traffic, per Piaggio, maker of the Vespa scooter.
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While governments and engineers work out plans for improvements to infrastructure that will cost billions of taxpayer dollars and take years to complete, Piaggio thinks scooters are the immediate answer. It cites congestion pricing that was put into effect in London a few years ago. "Congestion delays were reduced 30% while two-wheel usage actually increased," it said.
Timoni says Piaggio is investing in print ads in such trade publications as Scooter and Cycle World, which would almost seem like preaching to the choir. "The size of our market here is small so that certain type of [other] media is too global in scope for our kind of activities," he says.
The idea of America becoming a Scooter Nation is taking hold, Piaggio asserts. In dozens of cities across the nation, including Atlanta, Columbus, San Francisco, Denver, Seattle and Austin, Texas, local and state governments have launched and supported scooter commuter campaigns in an effort to increase two-wheeled awareness and decrease congestion. Additionally, municipalities, college campuses and shopping centers far and wide are becoming more scooter-friendly and installing "scooter-only" parking.
Today, says Timoni, "is a moment in the media debate of these issue. For us, it is a good time to remind people how we fit into the picture."
4 comments about "Piaggio Cites Relevancy To 'Urban Mobility Report' ".
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It's 108 degrees here in Phoenix today. Will be over 115 degrees this Sat & Sun. Who can ride a scooter to work in this kind of weather? Do Vespa's come with a/c??
I am a proud ownber of a Piaggio 50 cc and I love it. It's eco-friendly, it's maneuverable, easy to park, run errands, drive with a friend on the back... I will never live without one again.
I live in Miami and WOW is this place a scooter mecca. They are everywhere. I think if Piaggio wants to focus on their die-hard customers and afficionados.. all they need to do is visit the Miami area.
It's 95 degrees and 99% percent humidity here today, but riding the scooter provides enough cool breeze so that the heat is bearable. So, no need for AC ; )
When Mr. Timoni said, "somehow only in North America is the usage of two wheels very limited," I think he is overlooking the two-wheeled solution being embraced by more and more communities, at least here in the Western U.S.: the bicycle. Communities such as Portland, OR, Davis, CA, Boulder, CO and Spokane, WA have become bike-friendly meccas with two-wheelers many times outnumbering cars in the urban core.
Mickey, America is a very big country (I know you won't disagree with me there!). To have just several communities and not major ones at that involved in two-wheel efforts is limited, in my opinion -- and in Mr. Timoni's.
Now, as for our friends in Phoenix and Miami, all I can say is it must be the humidity that makes it feel cooler in Miami?
Having lived in Italy, where I first saw the masses maneuvering through Roman traffic on Vespas (back in "La Dolce Vita" days), I have long longed for one. But now, living in New England, it doesn't seem worth it to be able to use it for just five months of the year ... :(