Brian Moynihan is a proud scooter commuter.  

A grad student at UNC, Moynihan said getting around on a scooter for the last year has made him see a lot of advantages to it.  

"This is a perfect town to drive scooters in," said Moynihan. "And about a year ago there were all the problems with the gas prices going through the roof and they cost almost nothing to fill up."

And he doesn't even need a permit to park on campus. He just locks his scooter to a bike rack. But the UNC Board of Trustees passed new regulations in March that would essentially treat scooters like motorcycles and require them to have permits and park in designated spots. The new regulations would go into effect on August 15th.

When Moynihan and other scooter drivers heard about, they started an online petition to oppose it two weeks ago. Petitioners said since scooters are not considered vehicles by law, they should be able to drive about without any major restrictions.

"They're really a lot more like a bicycle in a lot of ways," said Moynihan. "They don't go very fast, they don't take up much space."

Moynihan said he supports part of the policy that prohibits scooters on sidewalks.

"I don't think it's safe," he said.

Some UNC employees and students agree. Joe Ferrington, an employee, said he also thinks scooters should be limited to certain parts of the campus.  

"If they're on the academic side where the majority of the classes are, there's no need for them," said Ferrington.

Other students NBC 17 News spoke with said they don't see the need for scooter regulations. 

"I feel like they should let them ride their scooters where they want to, park where they want to," said Sharelle Mitchell, UNC student. "They're really small, they're like bikes

"I think having students pay for permits would be a little excessive," said Travis Book, UNC Senior.

According to the Daily Tar Heel, the Board of Trustees will re-evaluate the policy during its meetings on July 22nd and 23rd.