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Commissioners raise safety concerns about e-scooters and e-bikes as school season starts
Summary
Multiple commissioners said complaints about e-scooters and e-bikes on sidewalks and streets have risen since school resumed; they urged a multi-pronged city response including enforcement, safety education and infrastructure changes.
Several East Grand Rapids commissioners told the commission they have received increased complaints about electric scooters and e-bikes since the start of the school year and asked staff to pursue a multi-pronged response.
Commissioner Skaggs said the number of comments and concerns about scooters and e-bikes “has increased incredibly since the beginning of school,” noting instances of children using the devices without helmets and riding on sidewalks and roads in low-light conditions. “I just want to encourage us to continue down the path of figuring out solutions that are gonna work for the community, a multi-pronged approach that looks like ensuring safety, and enforcement,” Skaggs said.
Commissioner Burdick and Commissioner Wesley echoed the concern and urged staff to pursue both enforcement options and infrastructure or policy changes. Commissioner Hunter, as liaison to the Zoning Board of Appeals, noted a recent discussion about responsibilities among planning, zoning and the City Commission and suggested the topic may require coordination among multiple city departments.
Commissioners also referenced resident proposals from a group that presented earlier in the year, the Walk, Ride and Roll EGR Group, and said staff should consider that group’s suggestions as the city develops a plan. No formal action was taken; commissioners asked staff to continue studying the issue and return with recommendations.
The mayor and several commissioners reiterated a general public-safety appeal: slow down, increase visibility for children traveling to school and consider infrastructure and enforcement changes as the days grow darker with the season change.
