Oak Lawn board to draft local rules for electric scooters and motorized bicycles after state definition changes

Trustees at the Village of Oak Lawn on Aug. 26 directed staff to prepare a local ordinance to address electric scooters and motorized bicycles, saying recent activity and a state change to the definition of “bicycle” require updates to village code.

Village manager (staff) told the board the issue has recurred for months and that the village had received a request for action from the emergency department at a local hospital. The manager said the village had prepared to act at the Aug. 26 meeting but delayed final action after recent changes in Springfield to the state definition of bicycle.

Why this matters: Trustees described riders operating on sidewalks and moving unpredictably through neighborhoods and intersections, raising safety concerns. The manager said the village will “incorporate that new definition into the ordinance” and bring a draft back to the board at the next meeting.

Discussion vs. action: The meeting included discussion and direction to prepare an ordinance; no ordinance was adopted at the Aug. 26 meeting. The village manager said the state recently amended the definition of bicycle and that the village will use that definition when drafting local rules.

Attributions: Trustee Pembroke said he had been raising the issue since spring and called for a formal local plan; the village manager said there has been “a number of activity within the last 9 months” involving scooters and electric bicycles and that lobbyists in Springfield are active on the subject.

Next steps: The manager said staff will draft a local ordinance that incorporates the state’s new definition and place it on the next meeting agenda for the board’s consideration.