Houston officials propose scooter-free zone downtown amid public safety concerns

City staff on Thursday recommended creating a scooter-free zone in Houston’s Central Business District, East Downtown and parts of Midtown, saying accidents and enforcement challenges have increased since 2021 and that a local regulatory framework does not yet exist.

Maria Irshad, deputy director of the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department, told the Quality of Life Committee the administration will recommend ordinances amending chapter 45 of the city code to ban motorized scooters from the public right of way in the designated area. “Our recommendation to city council will be… amendments to chapter 45 that would create a scooter free zone,” Irshad said.

The proposal drew lengthy public testimony at City Hall. Hotel managers, Discovery Green representatives and convention center officials described recurring late‑night “takeovers,” property damage and safety incidents that they say have deterred visitors and increased security costs. Todd Holloman, vice president for venues and events at Houston First, said scooters have been “reckless recreation” in the convention campus and that staff and guests face regular hazards. “Scooters are not used as transportation. Scooter use is actively dangerous to pedestrians and not complimentary,” Holloman said.

Why it matters: staff and police described a pattern of growth and concentrated harm downtown. City presenters and HPD officers said most reported accidents and enforcement activity are centered in and near downtown and that unregulated, storefront and pop‑up vendors complicate enforcement. Maria Irshad and Captain Melissa Countryman of the Houston Police Department urged the…