Bicyclists in New York are known to possess an evangelical fervor. (What other mode of transportation has its own self-declared celebratory month? Imagine "city bus month.") Now another fervor-driven environmentally friendly transportation group is growing up behind them: the scooter obsessives.

The surge in gas prices has turned people toward gas-sipping scooters across the country — even in New York City. The riders were out in force this past weekend for a New York Scooter Club block party at Brass Monkey, with scooters daintily lined up side by side on the street.

In the first three months of 2008, scooter sales were up nationwide by 24 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council. And that was before gas starting hitting $4 a gallon. A continued rise in fuel prices could accelerate sales further. The increase in gas prices in summer 2005 correlated with a jump in scooters sales of 64.5 percent during the summer months compared with summer 2004. (Sales in the entire motorcycle category went up also, but by only 16 percent.)

Thom D'Angelo, who owns a motorcycle dealership and a motorcycle insurance company called Motosport, said that for the first time since he's been in the industry, buyers are looking at gas mileage. As a result, manufacturers and dealers are advertising the fuel efficiency of the vehicles, something that was rarely done in the past.

Scooterists argue the scooter has many of the conveniences of a bicycle, but it doesn't get you sweaty and you can wear normal clothes. Of course, the bike still wins in some ways — parking is more convenient and it's carbon-neutral. But at 70 to 100 or more miles per gallon, scooters are less environmentally damaging than cars.

Scooters are winning converts, and not just for the romance of Vespas. Last August, Chris Casal, a 32-year-old elementary school teacher who lives in Brooklyn Heights, bought a scooter for his commute to Williamsburg, in part because of concerns about gasoline prices and parking. Since then, he estimates he has driven his car only 15 times and usually only when it was cold or less than 20 degrees outside. Even though he lives only five miles from work, it is a 45-minute trip by subway or a 12-minute drive.

"Because I know I am going to get a gallon, gallon-and-a half max," Mr. Casal said, he no longer worried about gas prices. "That's the first time in my life I've ever not cared what the price of gas was."

Debby Henderson, a real estate agent who bought a scooter last year, said, "I was going to fill up in New Jersey last week and thought to myself, ‘What am I going to save, 10 cents?'"

Others see it less as an alternative to the car and more as an alternative to the cumbersome bus and crowded subway. Maya Corneille, 27, a student, said that on $5 a tank of gas, "I'm spending less money than I did on MetroCards."

The scooter, she said, is more efficient for traveling from her home on the Upper West Side to Hunter College in the East 60s than on mass transit, which involved getting on a crosstown bus. "Everything is getting more efficient — 15 minutes instead of 30 minutes," she said.

For newbies to scootering, answers to some basic questions are addressed at the club's forum site's frequently asked questions.

Do I need a motorcycle license to ride a scooter in New York? Short answer is yes. Some states use the size of the engine to determine what needs a license (50cc etc.), New York State uses top speed. If the top speed of a scooter is above 30 miles an hour (which, these days, nearly all of the modern ones are), you need a motorcycle license. If it's under 30 miles per hour, you do not need a license but it can only operate in the right-hand lane.

Where do I park? The answer, for scooter folks in New York City, is nowhere very well. There is no designated motorcycle or scooter parking in the city. It's illegal to park on a sidewalk (you might get towed), though some people do and remove their license plates. A scooter can be parked on the streets, taking up a full parking space, which would anger people with cars. Some garages refuse to take scooters, because they are not insured for two-wheeled vehicles. The scooter parking question has been up for debate, with both the Department of Transportation and scooter lobbyists advocating changes.

Which scooter should I buy? That is a function of your size (petite woman? large man?) and purpose (commuting? recreational? highway travel?).

Where do I get insurance? There are motorcycle and scooter insurance brokers. Annual insurance rates for a scooter in New York City ranges from $100 for minimal coverage to more than $300 for full coverage.

Scooters have long been popular in European countries like Italy (where gas is expensive) and in Asian countries like Vietnam (where cars are expensive). As gas gets more expensive and New York City wrestles with congestion, scooters hope the city will adopt scooter-friendly policies, as Toronto did a few years back.

However, the scooter groups said despite the benefits of the scooter, they have not found much love from groups like Transportation Alternatives.

Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for Transportation Alternatives, explained:

Scooters are tricky. We see them as a half-measure that precludes making the most environmental/urban-friendly choices (biking, walking and transit). While scooters are better than cars from a spatial-efficiency and pollution standpoint, they are noisy, still somewhat polluting (especially two-stroke engines) and they still make streets less safe for bicyclists and walkers. If someone is really looking to make the shift away his/her car, we'd rather they go the whole nine yards.

One question remains: If the scooter were allowed to enter Transportations Alternative's Great NYC Commuter Race next year, would the bike remain undefeated?