In the three decades since a group of concerned citizens first raised the alarm on the hazards of mopeds on Martha’s Vineyard, the number of rental vehicles has declined sharply.

Will this be the year that the Island finally figures out how to get rid of them entirely?

Nine out of ten residents believe that rental mopeds pose a serious public safety hazard and should be eliminated from the Island, according to the results of a Gazette community survey released in today’s paper.

And a renewed call to ban rental mopeds on the Vineyard is gaining momentum, thanks mostly to the Mopeds are Dangerous action committee which reawakened public sentiment following the tragic accident last summer when two young women riding a moped were seriously injured.

Among its most compelling spokesmen is Tim Rich, the former longtime Chilmark police chief whose son was involved in a tragic moped accident two years ago. Like Mr. Rich, EMTs and law enforcement officials have been especially articulate about not just the physical injury caused by moped accidents, but the emotional toll on those who witness collisions and their aftermath.

True to its name, the committee has taken action on a variety of fronts. It has filed a formal complaint against the town of Oak Bluffs — where the bulk of mopeds are rented — alleging violations of town bylaws governing mopeds and licensing irregularities. The complaint is currently going through the SARA process, a form of mediation. The action committee is also working to put a nonbinding question on moped rentals on ballots in Island towns this spring.

Better enforcement of existing bylaws is surely a start. But if eliminating moped rentals altogether is the end goal, how to accomplish that objective remains elusive.

A key obstacle appears to be state law, as those who launched the first campaign against rental mopeds discovered. Championed by Sam Feldman, who is also involved in the current effort, a drive that began in 1988 to ban rental mopeds successfully galvanized public opinion on Martha’s Vineyard, but ultimately ran up against a court ruling in a Provincetown case.

The Supreme Judicial Court, upholding a superior court decision, found that a Provincetown bylaw regulating moped rentals was invalid because it conflicted with a state law that gives every person operating a motorized bicycle “the right to use any public ways in the commonwealth.”

Absent a change in state law, the chances of finding a legal route to banning moped rentals seems remote. But with the court of public opinion so solidly behind the movement, surely there are other ways to approach it.

The most obvious would be a direct appeal to the few businesses that still rent mopeds on Martha’s Vineyard. Last October, one Oak Bluffs businessman voluntarily gave up his licenses to rent mopeds. Donald Gregory, who held a license to rent up to forty mopeds, swapped those for the right to rent forty more cars.

The Mopeds are Dangerous action committee may have other ideas up their sleeve as well, but they need not just the tacit approval of the vast majority of Islanders, but their commitment to action.

Time now to mobilize.