Council debates motorized devices and skateboards in parks; consensus to remove park ban from draft ordinance

City Council discussed proposed changes to the Upper Arlington Code of Ordinances that would update rules governing bicycles, motorized bicycles, scooters and related devices, and addressed enforcement realities for park and street incidents.

City staff and the city attorney walked council through three areas of focus: the scale of calls for service involving motorized devices, whether skateboards should be treated differently than bikes or scooters, and how criminal enforcement operates in practice. Staff provided police call-for-service data on scooters, electric bicycles and skateboards and noted that the dataset includes only incidents reported to police, not all resident complaints to other city offices. A staff chart showed a modest number of park-related calls in 2024 but council members said those figures likely undercount complaints received elsewhere.

On skateboards, staff advised against allowing skateboards in the street — a change some council members had raised — citing safety differences. Staff noted skateboards typically lack lights or braking devices and are slower than bicycles, creating a greater risk of impeding traffic or losing control on streets. “Skateboards have that minimal profile … skateboards have that minimal profile, and a skateboard doesn't have brakes or handles, which poses a greater risk of losing control and potentially falling into the street,” a staff presenter said. The presentation left the current code’s sidewalk/park placement in place but opened the door to council-driven changes.

Council and staff discussed motorized single‑wheel devices, electric ‘one‑wheels’ and other emergent micro‑mobility devices. Under the draft ordinance, motorized devices are treated separately from non‑motorized skateboards. Councilmembers noted enforcement challenges: police generally issue citations only when officers directly observe offenses or in the immediate aftermath of an accident, and juvenile cases route to juvenile court rather than mayor’s court. Staff said they do not expect large numbers of citations from the ordinance but that clearer rules could help when parties and officers are present after an incident.

A separate parks rule in the draft had prohibited motorized devices in parks. After discussion, council signaled a preference to remove the parks-specific prohibition from the ordinance as drafted and to instead focus on discouraging reckless behavior and clarifying where motorized devices are permitted. City Attorney Darren said staff will remove the parks prohibition and work on further drafting between the second and third readings.

Nut graf: Council reviewed proposed code updates for micro-mobility and skateboards, acknowledged enforcement limitations for phone-in complaints and juvenile incidents, and directed staff to remove a proposed blanket ban on motorized devices in parks while continuing to refine permitted locations and language for skateboard and scooter use.

Council also asked staff to consider cross-references to other ordinances (for example, the city’s golf-cart rules and speed-limited street language) to avoid inconsistent treatment of devices across different types of streets. Staff plans to circulate revised language before the third reading, addressing concerns raised about single-file requirements and the practicalities of sidewalk and street use.

Ending: Staff will bring a revised draft reflecting the council’s direction — chiefly the removal of the parks ban and further language work on skateboard use and device classifications — for the next ordinance reading.