Waukee police chief calls for education, helmet use as scooters proliferate on sidewalks

At a Waukee City meeting, a police chief warned that electric scooters and similar devices are creating traffic-safety hazards on sidewalks and trails and urged education, helmet use and slower riding to reduce injuries.

The chief said the devices “fall under the definition of a pedestrian conveyance or an electric powered bicycle by the state of Iowa code,” which allows them on sidewalks and trails but requires obeying traffic laws when they are on streets. “These devices not, stopping and checking before they pull out into to roadways creates a traffic safety hazard,” the chief said, adding that riders often do not warn pedestrians before passing.

The chief said the age of some riders complicates enforcement: “some of the children are 8 or 10 years old, and there's a whole another complexity in the enforcement aspect of of that.” To address safety concerns, the chief said local departments and professional groups are working on model rules: “We are working, locally in Waukee as well as the Iowa Police Chiefs Association and the Metro Police Chiefs Group that I'm a part of are working to develop, some draft legislation for this.”

Officials emphasized education as the near-term priority while lawmaking proceeds. The chief urged residents to lobby legislators and to have conversations with children and other riders about safe behavior: “have some conversations with your kids about responsible riding, how to be safe, and how to respect others that are out with them.” He also listed basic safety practices: “we want people to wear helmets. We want people to slow down, pay attention, notify people when you're coming up on them, stop before you're on a roadway, just basic safety things.”

The chief characterized the issue as widespread across the U.S.: “I've had conversations with several 100 of my peers across The United States, and everybody is dealing with the same thing.” No formal enforcement action or local ordinance change was recorded in the meeting; the discussion focused on education, local coordination and drafting potential legislation.

Details from the discussion: riders are currently allowed on sidewalks and trails under the cited state code; when riding in streets, users must follow traffic laws. The chief said enforcement is difficult when riders are children and that legislative updates are slow relative to technology adoption. He encouraged residents to contact their elected legislators to make safety concerns a priority.

A meeting participant opened the exchange by asking the chief if he had time to answer questions about scooters.