Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Assistant city attorney presents draft e-scooter/e-bike ordinance; committee debates sidewalks ban, stewardship limits and enforcement
Summary
Assistant City Attorney Ellen presented a draft repeal-and-recreate ordinance to update park and play-vehicle code, add e-scooter and e-bike definitions aligned with state law, and propose sidewalk and downtown-area restrictions. Committee members raised concerns about naming specific conservancies, blanket sidewalk bans, data collection and enforceability; staff will revise language and return for further review.
Assistant City Attorney Ellen presented a draft e-scooter and e-bike ordinance to the Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee on Feb. 10, 2026, describing a repeal-and-recreate approach to clean up antiquated language and to align city code with Wisconsin state law.
Ellen said the current code contains confusing, old provisions and that the draft pulls many definitions and operating rules from state law. She told the committee she added a consistent definition of the downtown La Crosse area to simplify enforcement and proposed explicit definitions for e-bikes, EPMDs and electric scooters. "It's really old," Ellen said of the existing code, explaining why a repeal-and-recreate approach was preferable to piecemeal edits.
Members debated several substantive points. Randy asked that the draft reconsider calling out a specific land trust and stewardship partner, saying, "I would, like you to revisit d and c about the Mississippi Valley Conservancy," because singling out an organization felt exclusionary; Ellen agreed to revisit the wording and noted stewardship agreements sometimes restrict uses on those parcels. On sidewalks, the draft would prohibit e-bikes and restrict e-scooter use in many situations; one member called a blanket prohibition "a nonstarter" until the city has a more complete network of protected bike lanes. Another member urged targeted exceptions where no safe roadway exists, noting some corridors have no reasonable alternative for riders.
Committee members and staff also discussed crash reporting and data collection. Police and staff said state crash-reporting forms generally capture motor-vehicle-involved incidents and do not currently identify e-bike or e-scooter involvement separately; staff suggested reaching out to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (BOTS) or State Patrol to ask whether forms could be updated. Members raised questions about age limits, insurance and enforceability; Ellen said she would examine state preemption and statutory limits before recommending local insurance requirements.
Ellen closed by asking committee members to email specific sidewalk-exception locations or ideas so she could synthesize a workable draft for a future meeting; no formal vote was taken at this session.
