The Woodlands Township Board of Directors voted June 25 to send letters to school districts, elected officials, neighboring jurisdictions and other community partners urging coordinated education on electric scooters, e‑bikes and similar motorized devices on shared pathways.

The board’s action follows public comment from residents who urged faster action on infrastructure changes as well as education. "I strongly urge the board to put infrastructure — address infrastructure changes right up in parallel with educational programs," said Tom Lanthorne, who described himself as a crossing guard and said tactile devices would help alert riders approaching intersections.

Lanthorne argued that tactile pavement bricks or rumblers at approach zones would “arouse and alert a rider to upcoming changes” and might trigger an unconscious slowing response. Teresa Wagaman, a Cochran’s Crossing resident, told the board she sees children riding scooters double‑seated and without helmets and said some scooters can reach 20 mph; she praised the township’s education proposals and encouraged outreach to parents and schools. Mark Onland, another resident, said he was “flat out opposed” to allowing any motorized vehicles on pathways, arguing that the system is designed for human‑powered use and that motorization would turn pathways into “mini roads.”

Staff said the outreach letters were drafted to go to school districts, private schools, county and state officials and adjacent municipalities. "You have in your additional materials tonight a copy of draft language that would be used to go to each of the respective types of parties or groups," said Colin Todd Stevens, Vice President of Intergovernmental Relations, explaining the plan to finalize and distribute the correspondence. Todd said private schools and both Harris and Montgomery county officials are included on the planned distribution list.

Directors suggested adding all board members’ signatures to the letters to demonstrate a unified position. Director comments during the meeting indicated interest in pairing education with longer‑term infrastructure plans rather than relying on education alone.

The board approved the correspondence on the e‑vehicle safety awareness initiative on a voice vote (moved by Director Frank; seconded by Director Sekula Gibbs; motion carries). The approved material in the packet lists example recipients and drafts; staff said a final recipient list and proof of distribution would be provided.

Next steps discussed included circulating the final recipient list and working in parallel with state and local officials on potential regulatory or legislative avenues; directors noted a possible opportunity if a special legislative session addresses transportation topics upcoming on July 21.

Community context and constraints raised during the discussion included the township’s limited enforcement authority (the board cannot adopt local ordinances for unincorporated areas and enforcement is limited by county/state jurisdiction) and prior unsuccessful requests to local school districts to ban scooters on campuses.

The board’s action was limited to approving the outreach correspondence; no regulatory change or pathway design standard was adopted at the meeting. Residents and directors indicated they expect follow‑up reports on both education uptake and any proposed infrastructure pilots.