Carmel leaders outline roundabout designs and pursue rules for fast electric bikes and low‑speed vehicles

City councilors and staff described several traffic and safety projects at a Brookshire town hall, saying officials will prioritize neighborhood protection while planning future roundabouts and moving to regulate emerging low‑speed electric devices on multiuse paths.

Councilor Jeff Worrell and others said two roundabouts are funded and in the design phase at 116th & River Road and 106th & Lakeshore, and that a third — near 126th & River Road by Plum Creek Village — is in earlier design with a longer construction timeline. Councilors said they will share completed designs with neighbors and hold public outreach before construction.

"We do have 2 roundabouts funded that are in the design phase but are not scheduled yet," said one council member. "When they are complete, my effort is to make sure to communicate with neighbors what the timeline is gonna be, what those roundabouts will look like, and to really have a conversation with you."

Electric bikes and low‑speed vehicles: Councilor Matt Snyder and others described efforts to draft an ordinance to clarify where golf carts and different classes of electric bikes may operate. Speakers said officials do not support allowing golf carts on multiuse trails and that enforcement is difficult when devices outpace legal speed limits. "If it does not have pedals and it's electric and it's fast, it's illegal on the path or the road," Snyder said, summarizing the proposed enforcement principle. He added the draft ordinance will be introduced at a council meeting for public vetting.

Enforcement and public safety: Carmel Chief of Police Greg Sterling described a parks resource officer program launched this year and said officers have recently focused enforcement on illegal electric dirt bikes, conducting more than 50 enforcement efforts that included citations, warnings, parental notification and, in some cases, towing. "This year alone, [PRO officers] have done over a 100 hours of bike control," Sterling said. "We've had over 50 enforcement efforts on just those dirt bikes."

Trail speed feedback and signage: Residents requested flashing speed signs on the White River Greenway to show trail users their speed; staff said solar‑powered signs are being trialed where infrastructure permits. Officials also noted a technical challenge enforcing e‑bike class rules and discussed a possible age or licensing requirement for some devices.

Other traffic concerns: Councilors addressed semi‑tractor traffic and noise on Keystone during detours and said they are coordinating with Carmel Police and county partners to increase enforcement; urban forestry staff are exploring targeted tree planting to help reduce noise where feasible.

No formal ordinance was adopted at the town hall; councilors described ongoing drafting, interagency coordination and planned public vetting.