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Kearney council adopts ordinance setting rules for e-bikes, scooters and ATVs
Summary
The Kearney City Council on an unspecified date approved ordinance 87-66, adding definitions and use rules for bicycles, classes of electric bicycles, electric foot scooters, ATVs/UTVs and golf carts; the measure emphasizes education and makes enforcement an infraction while allowing ATVs/UTVs for snow removal under state conditions.
The Kearney City Council adopted ordinance 87-66 to add definitions and operating rules for bicycles, electric bicycles, electric foot scooters, all-terrain/utility task vehicles (ATVs/UTVs) and golf carts.
Assistant to the city manager Brad Demers, who presented the proposal, said the changes were driven by citizen complaints about electric scooters and the absence of local code that officers could cite. "We've received a lot of complaints, from citizens regarding the use of specifically electric scooters around town," he said, and described work with Kearney Police Department administration, parks and recreation and the trails advisory committee to develop the language.
The ordinance introduces new definitions that align with state statute for bicycle and electric-bicycle classes and adds a municipal definition for "electric foot scooter." It allows bicycles and class 1–3 electric bicycles and electric foot scooters on sidewalks and shared-use trails with conditions that riders yield to pedestrians and follow traffic-control requirements. The ordinance also retains a city policy that bans bicycles and similar devices on downtown sidewalks and continues the existing prohibition on class 3 electric bicycles on city trails.
On streets, the ordinance permits bicycles and class 1–3 electric bicycles generally. The council-approved language restricts electric foot scooters from streets with posted speed limits of 35 miles per hour or greater; the council discussed the exact phrasing and confirmed the threshold during debate.
The code addition treats violations as a traffic infraction and emphasizes education as the first enforcement tool. Demers said the intent is not to "handcuff children" but to give officers a code section they can cite and to support school- and community-based education campaigns. The council discussed options for signage, school outreach in spring when ridership rises, and other ways to inform residents about safe operation and yielding to pedestrians.
The ordinance also responds to state law on ATVs and UTVs (LB196). Under the approved municipal language, ATVs and UTVs remain prohibited for general use but are permitted for snow-removal and specified governmental or utility operations when operators comply with the state-required conditions (license, liability insurance, lights/flags and other statutory requirements). The council amended the draft to remove a time-limited phrase in the proposed section for snow removal operations so the snow-removal exception is not restricted to the draft phrasing as presented.
Council members and staff said education and incremental enforcement are the immediate priorities; the council instructed staff to pursue outreach to schools and consider trail signage and speed reminders for long trail straightaways. The ordinance was read by number only and placed on final passage; the council approved the measure by roll call vote.
