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Resident pushes ‘walk your wheels’ enforcement for downtown Evanston sidewalks
Summary
A resident urged the committee to adopt visible signage, public-service announcements and continued enforcement to keep bicycles, scooters and skateboards off downtown sidewalks, citing Wheaton, Ill.’s program as an 80% reduction case study.
At public comment the committee heard from Fourth Ward resident Sharon Perino, who urged Evanston to adopt a model similar to Wheaton, Illinois, to reduce bicycle, scooter and skateboard use on downtown sidewalks.
Perino described a visit to Wheaton where a "walk your wheels" campaign was implemented and said she was told the program reduced sidewalk bike and scooter use by about 80 percent. "To help keep everyone in the downtown safe, I'd like to remind you that riding bicycles, skateboards, scooters, inline skates, or roller skates is not allowed on the downtown sidewalks," Perino said, and urged clear signage, social-media public-service announcements and ongoing enforcement.
Perino suggested sandwich-board signs at corners showing the business-district boundary and a visible map indicating where people must "walk their wheels," and said initial enforcement in Wheaton included warning tickets followed by continued fines ($35–$70 depending on the offense). She acknowledged one official's ADA concern about sandwich boards but said downtown sidewalks in Evanston have ample space for accessible passage while still hosting visible signs.
Perino recommended consumer services or parking services handle most enforcement after an initial police push, and provided a QR code for her full presentation. There was no committee action during the meeting; Perino's comments were recorded as public input for possible follow-up by staff.
