Glendale council directs staff to draft e-bike and e-scooter ordinance after lengthy safety debate

Glendale City Council members tasked staff on Aug. 12 to draft an ordinance regulating electric bicycles and electric scooters after a wide-ranging workshop discussion about safety, speed, sidewalks and enforcement.

Deputy City Manager Rick St. John briefed the council on Arizona law and options for local regulation, noting that “electric bicycles are defined by Arizona law as having fully functional pedals and a motor of not more than 750 watts,” and explaining the Class 1–3 e‑bike distinctions and the state definition of electric scooters. He said the city’s parks code (Chapter 27) already bars e‑bikes and e‑scooters in parks but that other uses on sidewalks, bike paths and roadways are not uniformly regulated by local code.

The conversation focused on three practical questions: the minimum age for operation, whether helmets should be required, and where the…