CHAPEL HILL - An online petition and letter-writing campaign by local scooter riders have gotten the attention of UNC officials, who now say they will take a second look at a May decision to regulate the small, eco-friendly vehicles.

UNC's Board of Trustees approved an annual parking plan two months ago that requires scooter riders to buy permits and park them in designated lots.

The new regulation would take affect Aug. 15. UNC has never regulated scooters before, and those who ride them have enjoyed the freedom to putter through campus and park close to their destinations.

But an increase in scooters -- likely prompted by last year's spike in gasoline prices -- led campus officials to include them in parking regulations.

UNC employees would pay between $174 and $371 for a one-year scooter permit, based on salary level. For students, the cost would be $175, or $44 if they also have a campus parking permit. Scooters would share space with motorcycles in designated lots.

By comparison: At N.C. State, all scooter users must buy a $60 permit, though students with campus parking permits pay just $5 for the additional scooter sticker. At Duke, scooters permits are $25, or free if you have a car permit.

At UNC, the change has scooter riders crying foul over the new cost and concerned over the safety and security of their vehicles. Some see it as an insult to commuters trying to be environmentally responsible.

UNC officials say it's a safety measure. While UNC has long mandated that motorcycle riders buy permits, these scooters -- with small engines of 50 cubic centimeters or less -- have not been covered until now.

"We're not saying we don't want you riding scooters," said Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for campus services. "We want them parked. They're not governed. They just go anywhere."

Indeed, they can go nearly anywhere, and for Brian Moynihan, that's much of the charm. He and his wife live in Carrboro and work in adjacent buildings on UNC's medical campus. So they ride in to work each day on Moynihan's scooter and park it -- for free -- outside Moynihan's building.

Moynihan, a graduate student at UNC's information sciences program, created an online petition protesting the new regulations and asking scooter riders to plead their case to administrators. It quickly attracted more than 200 signatories, many of whom say the policy change will bring more cars to campus.

"If people have to pay, they might just go back to using their cars," Moynihan said. "That's exactly what we don't want to happen."

Roger Perry, chairman of UNC's Board of Trustees, said he expects his board to review the regulations when it meets later this month.

Elfland said the change isn't a money grab. In fact, it is difficult to project the potential revenue because nobody knows just how many scooter riders there are at UNC.

David Jansen, owner of Scooters, Inc., a Carrboro scooter vendor, estimates there are "hundreds" of scooters in Carrboro alone.

"It seems like a revenue-based decision for the university because they lose revenue whenever someone goes from paying a faculty rate for parking to a scooter," he said.

Scooter interest peaked last year when gas prices climbed to $4 a gallon and has tapered since, Jansen said.

"The scooter is still the ultimate urban commute vehicle," he said.

Scooters generally cost between $2,000 and $4,500, Jansen said; they get about 80 miles to the gallon.

At UNC, many riders chain their scooters to bicycle racks, while some simply lean them up against buildings. Elfland said the university plans to provide large, metal anchors similar to bike racks where scooters can be secured.

Cheryl Stout, UNC's assistant director for parking services, said she wasn't aware of any accidents caused by scooters on campus. But she has noticed the number of scooters increasing; campus policy already prohibits scooters from being operated on sidewalks, a rule rarely enforced in the past.

"It has definitely become a concern," she said. "These scooters are traveling at high rates of speed on sidewalks."