Commission forwards package of vehicle-and-traffic ordinances to council after safety briefing

River Falls commissioners on Feb. 3 voted to forward to city council a package of proposed amendments to Title 10 (vehicles and traffic) that would: (A) restrict bicycle use on downtown Main Street sidewalks, (B) create rules for electric bicycles and electric scooters aligned to state classifications, and (C) regulate all‑terrain, utility and off‑highway motorcycles within city limits.

Sergeant Denton Anderson of the River Falls Police Department told the commission the changes are driven by pedestrian‑safety concerns and gaps in enforcement. Anderson said some off‑highway electric motorcycles and similar machines can reach high speeds and that the city previously lacked a legal framework to address them. "I had him at about 40 coming down the sidewalk," Anderson said of a recorded radar stop of a person operating such a vehicle on a sidewalk; he also said officers have observed younger operators and unsafe behavior in parks. Anderson urged clearer legal definitions and asked the commission to direct staff to refine ordinance language before council consideration.

On electric bicycles and scooters, Anderson and commissioners discussed state statute (Act 32 of 2019) definitions for class 1, 2 and 3 e‑bikes and the age limit for class 3 devices (16 years). Commissioners raised enforcement concerns — for example, how to distinguish bike paths from sidewalks and whether to regulate equipment specifications (watts, top speed) versus user behavior — and asked staff and the city attorney to clarify definitions and cross‑references before final drafting.

The commission voted to send chapter 10.2 (bicycle sidewalk restrictions), chapter 10.21 (electric bicycles/scooters, with refinement requested) and chapter 10.22 (all‑terrain/utility/off‑highway vehicles) to city council. Where the proposed language requires alignment with state statute, staff said the ordinance will keep statutory definitions in place and that the council packet will include attorney review. Several commissioners said River Falls is not set up to accommodate ATVs and similar vehicles on city streets and supported directing those users to designated off‑road trails.