Monroe City weighs e‑bike rules, favors etiquette and signage over blanket bans
Loading...
Summary
City staff reviewed Bicycle & Pedestrian Trail Advisory Committee recommendations that would add e‑bike and micromobility definitions to city code, allow class 1 e‑bikes on paved trails, and adopt trail etiquette and a 10 mph default speed where none is posted. Council asked staff for draft ordinance and signage plans.
Monroe City staff presented recommendations to update local ordinances and park rules to address e‑bikes and other micromobility devices, saying the city must align local rules with the Michigan Vehicle Code and multiple outside agencies that share trail networks.
"There are three classes," Director Cochran said, summarizing state law, "Class 1 bikes are currently… allowed on the road, just as any other bike and vehicle is allowed on the road." Cochran told council that class 2 and class 3 e‑bikes are not automatically allowed on paved linear trails unless the local authority authorizes them and reminded council that state law requires a public hearing before local restrictions are adopted.
Staff recommended adding definitions (roadway, trailway, sidewalk, e‑bike, e‑scooter, micro‑mobility device) to Chapter 199 and creating a new section to address motorized micromobility: prohibiting attachment to other vehicles, requiring operators to yield to pedestrians, to audibly signal when passing, and to obey posted speed limits. Where no speed is posted, staff proposed a 10 mph default on trails.
Councilmembers discussed how to treat downtown sidewalks and the central business district. Cochran suggested a combination of measures — signage, bike racks, planters, markings and potential temporary sidewalk permissions — to balance safety and access. "If you are coming down with your family and you want to visit one of the businesses, to have plenty of ample parking for your bicycle so that you can access it, but then potentially walk into those areas rather than ride your bike into those areas," Cochran said.
A councilmember questioned the state’s class‑based approach and urged focusing on how people ride rather than only on the class designation: "This policy by the state, I don't agree with... Half the people don't even know what kind of class they have," the councilmember said.
Council members also raised enforcement and coordination issues: how officials would know whether a rider was above a speed limit, and whether police would be positioned to measure bike speeds. Staff proposed trials of bike‑scaled speed displays and other low‑cost signage to gather data and educate users before any broad enforcement push.
Next steps: staff said they will draft ordinance amendments and park‑rule language incorporating council feedback, return with recommended text and a signage/education plan, and bring any ordinance changes back through required public‑hearing and reading steps.
The work session record shows no final vote on the ordinance language; council directed staff to draft language for future consideration.
