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Council debates education, enforcement and local limits for e-bikes, scooters and golf carts
Summary
Councilmembers discussed rising use of e-bikes, scooters and golf carts in subdivisions, focusing on child safety, modified high-speed devices, enforcement limits under state law and options for local education campaigns or selective restrictions (parks, sidewalks); no ordinance changes were adopted at the meeting.
The council discussed motorized vehicles in subdivisions, including e-bikes, electric scooters, golf carts and off-highway dirt-bike'type vehicles. Mayor (Speaker 4) introduced the item noting state-level gray areas and asked city staff and law enforcement for experience and guidance.
Council members raised safety concerns for children riding scooters and modified e-bikes. "They're on a sidewalk, you know, and they're 8, 9, 10, 12... and they're cruising," Speaker 2 said, summarizing the worry about minors using devices that can be modified to go much faster than regulations allow. Council members described instances of non-street-legal dirt-bike'type machines being impounded.
Staff and council discussed enforcement limits under state law and tools available to municipalities: selectively restricting devices from certain areas (for example, parks or sidewalks), impounding non-street-legal vehicles, and conducting education (PSAs, utility-bill notices) to inform residents that many motorized modes are regulated like bicycles and must yield to pedestrians and observe sidewalk speed limits. One council member suggested adding meeting and safety information to the utility bill to reach residents without social media.
No ordinance was proposed or adopted during the session; the discussion closed toward directed education and potential targeted enforcement, with staff noting the statute allows municipal tailoring in some circumstances but that enforcement resources and statutory constraints make broad, blanket enforcement challenging.
Quote: "If it's not street legal... get that puppy off the road," Speaker 2 said about high-speed, non-street-legal vehicles. The council asked staff to return with options for education and targeted restrictions rather than immediate blanket prohibitions.
