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Council adopts 2025 traffic and public-offense codes and asks staff to draft local e-bike rules

Tonganoxie City Council · December 19, 2025

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Summary

The council adopted the 2025 Standard Traffic Ordinance and the Uniform Public Offense Code by reference and asked staff to return with a local e-bike policy after the police chief detailed rising injuries and enforcement challenges.

The council voted to adopt the 2025 edition of the Standard Traffic Ordinance (STO) and the Uniform Public Offense Code (UPOC) as the city’s reference traffic and offense codes. Staff said the action is routine and keeps the city’s code in step with current statewide model language.

Chief Lawson briefed the council on e-bike and e-scooter safety concerns and asked for direction to continue staff work and prepare a proposed local regulation. Lawson said staff wanted council input before investing further time because policing and enforcement will require clear policy choices; he cited an upward trend in injuries in the metro area and emphasized that staff prefer education-first enforcement.

Several council members expressed concern for public safety and urged the chief and staff to return with policy options for licensing, age limits, and parental accompaniment. Chief Lawson said the research shows accident rates rising in recent years and noted the difficulty of regulating products sold from varied manufacturers. Council members signaled support for staff to continue drafting a local policy for later adoption.

Council adopted Ordinance 15-42 (adopting the 2025 STO with local additions) and Ordinance 15-43 (adopting the 2025 UPOC) and directed staff to return with e-bike policy proposals.