Colleyville council begins broader review of e-bike and scooter rules, plans follow-up work session

Assistant City Manager Adrian Lothree and city staff reviewed a draft ordinance and the legal constraints Colleyville faces in regulating e-bikes, motor-assisted scooters and similar devices.

Lothree said the city has received numerous resident concerns and the Traffic Advisory Committee has studied options. "This is a conversation that has been coming along in the community and lots of strong feelings on lots of different perspectives about the appropriate way to regulate the use of e bikes and scooters in town," Lothree said. He described the committee's work assessing definitions, allowable uses and enforceable restrictions and urged a cautious, deliberative approach.

Staff walked council through device categories that affect what local rules are available: electronic bicycles (pedal-assist e-bikes), electronic scooters, motor-assisted scooters and pocket bikes or mini motorbikes. The city attorney, identified in the discussion as Sarah, reviewed state-law constraints staff said limit local authority in some areas, including a noted principle that e-bikes are often treated the same as bicycles for regulation purposes.

The draft ordinance presented allowable uses with speed limits: sidewalks and paved trails at 5 mph, larger paved trails such as the Cotton Belt at up to 15 mph, and local (low-posted-speed) streets at the posted limit. Staff proposed a minimum operator age of 10 for use on public property and sought to prohibit pocket bikes and mini motorbikes on public property because of safety and damage concerns.

Council and staff repeatedly raised enforcement and classification problems. Staff and police members present said the devices in the community often blur categories: some devices look like bicycles but function as higher-powered motorized vehicles. One council member described groups of youths mixing pedal-assist e-bikes, scooters and electric motorcycles in neighborhood streets.

Given the complexity, multiple council members asked staff to schedule a dedicated work session to continue the discussion and refine ordinance language and enforcement options. "Let's take our time on this. Do it right," the mayor said during the discussion. Council directed staff to return for a more detailed work session and broader community input before formal ordinance action.

No ordinance vote occurred during the work session; staff will schedule follow-up and refine the draft ordinance with police, the traffic advisory committee and the city attorney.