Parks and Recreation staff on July 17 reviewed results from a city park policy survey of just under 1,400 respondents that examined how people use parks, safety perceptions and attitudes toward emerging personal mobility devices.

Survey highlights presented by staff included: nearly 99% of responding households reported someone uses the park system; 53% of respondents visit parks two or more times per week; 84% reported household bicycle ownership and 8.78% reported owning an e-bike; walking was the most common park activity. Respondents split on e-mobility devices: more than 21% opposed allowing e-bikes and nearly 26% opposed e-scooters in parks. A large majority said a speed limit should apply; 10 miles per hour was the single most-selected speed.

Commissioners and staff used the survey as the basis for policy issues to resolve. Staff recommended clearer, consistent signage (and suggested QR codes linking to current rules) and a trail-etiquette outreach campaign that would explain shared-use expectations for walkers, joggers, cyclists and e-device users. Commissioners expressed no appetite to ban classes of mobility devices outright; instead they favored consistency and public education. Several commissioners proposed pairing a posted speed limit with etiquette guidance so visitors understand why limits exist.

Animal-control staff flagged off-leash dog behavior as a separate but related issue. The animal-control supervisor (referenced at the meeting) recommended prohibiting off-leash dogs in parks, limiting leash length to a maximum of six feet, and banning retractable leashes because they can worsen emergency responses. The commission indicated it will leave leash-law wording to animal control and expects an ordinance update to be prepared for council consideration.

Staff said they will use the survey data to draft signage and outreach recommendations, review definitions (for example, clarifying whether existing bicycle signage explicitly includes e-bikes) and return to the commission with proposed language and an implementation plan. Commissioners asked that Ada Hayden and other high-traffic sites be prioritized for signage and that staff prepare a cost estimate for consistent sign replacement.