Glendale council adopts ordinance regulating electric bikes and scooters

Glendale — The City Council on Dec. 9 unanimously adopted Ordinance O25-50, amending Chapter 8 of the Glendale City Code to add rules for electric bicycles and electric stand-up scooters.

Deputy City Manager Rick St. John told the council the ordinance reflects direction members provided in prior workshops and is now ready for approval. After the presentation, council members focused on outreach and enforcement. "We need a plan to get the word out to people about it," the vice mayor said, emphasizing a 30‑day education window before the ordinance takes effect.

Council Member Bart Turner, who voted in favor, said he supported the ordinance despite a lack of conclusive safety data. "My reservation is that we know it's the right thing to do, even though we don't necessarily have data to back it up," Turner said, adding he hopes wider adoption will improve data collection and allow future adjustments.

Vice Mayor Lauren Tomachoff, the ordinance’s sponsor, said she had hoped for stricter age limits but said the rules cover carelessness and unsafe operations and cited a recent crash in her district as motivation. "We had an accident in my district on the very first day of school on a kid on an e‑bike that was hit by a driver," she said.

The council conducted a roll call and recorded unanimous support. Council members indicated the city will emphasize resident education alongside the new regulations.

The council did not provide an exact effective date in the hearing transcript beyond the 30‑day education period noted by staff; implementation details will be set out in the adopted ordinance text.