Waunakee trustees send e-bike and scooter code revision back to committee after safety, enforcement concerns

At a village board meeting in Waunakee, trustees debated a proposed ordinance to amend Chapter 70 to add operating rules for bicycles, e-bikes and electric scooters and agreed to send the draft back to committee for further work.

The ordinance, presented by village staffer Austin, would add definitions, operating guidelines and limited circumstances allowing e-bikes on sidewalks where roadway operation is unsafe. "This is not intended to be a one-and-done ordinance amendment, but rather the first step in a process of modernizing our code," Austin told the board, adding that the police commission recommended approval and that the proposal would be paired with an educational campaign.

Public commenters urged stronger restrictions. "Kids and adults don't follow the rules now, so how will this change their behavior?" Sam Robinson said, describing repeated near-misses while walking and urging more public input and enforcement planning. Linda Ashmore said sidewalk riding is unsafe for elderly pedestrians and people pushing strollers and recommended a prohibition or a strict sidewalk speed limit; Mary Heinebecker said e-bikes are motorized and should not be on sidewalks.

Chief Christman told trustees that enforcement is difficult and that education would be central to any rollout: "A huge part of this is educational. We're in the process of scheduling bike rodeos with all of our elementary schools and talking with the school district about how we can get this into their classwork," he said, while acknowledging that some groups who need to hear the message are unlikely to attend committee meetings.

Trustees raised several unresolved issues, including how to verify a rider's age, whether the village has authority to require helmets, how to measure sidewalk speed, whether class 3 e-bikes (speeds near 28 mph) should ever be allowed on sidewalks, and the liability implications for village infrastructure and insurance. Trustee Erin said she was "very conflicted" about sidewalk access and asked for clarity on helmet authority; a village attorney indicated that helmet-mandate authority would require further legal review.

The board concluded that the draft needs more work—especially clarity on the "power" component that distinguishes pedal-assist bikes from higher-powered vehicles—and agreed to return the ordinance to committee for revisions and additional public engagement. The chair said staff should refine definitions, enforcement options and the planned education campaign before returning the proposal for further consideration.

What happens next: The board directed staff and committee members to continue work on the ordinance and the planned public education before the proposal returns to the board for further consideration.