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Mayor’s amendments narrow Charleston e-bike rules to a Daniel Island pilot and cut scooter top speed
Summary
The Traffic & Transportation Committee adopted an overhaul of Chapter 19 governing e-bikes, approving two amendments from the mayor: a Daniel Island-only pilot for shared-use path restrictions through year-end and reducing scooter top speed from 35 to 25 mph; sidewalk restrictions remain citywide.
The Traffic and Transportation Committee on Thursday approved an ordinance repealing and replacing portions of Chapter 19 of the City of Charleston code governing bicycles, e-bikes, mopeds and related vehicles, adopting two mayoral amendments that narrow part of the measure and tighten scooter speed limits.
The mayor moved to adopt the ordinance with two changes: limit shared-use path restrictions in the ordinance to Daniel Island as a pilot through the end of the calendar year so staff can collect data and develop enforcement metrics, and reduce the scooter top speed limit in the draft from 35 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour. The motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote with one member recording opposition.
Why it matters: committee members said Daniel Island’s facilities and usage patterns differ from the rest of the city, and they want targeted enforcement data before applying the same shared-use path restrictions systemwide. The mayor said the pilot will allow the city to “track the data and work on enforcement metrics” and avoid a one-size-fits-all approach.
Key provisions and clarifications: the committee clarified that the ordinance will restrict e-bikes on sidewalks citywide while the shared-use path restriction named in the amendment will apply only to Daniel Island during the pilot period. The ordinance as presented also expands parking restrictions so that bicycles and similar devices may not be secured to street trees, street lights, stop signs, parking meters, boat docks or other public right-of-way fixtures.
Committee follow-up: the chairman said staff will report back to the committee on Daniel Island implementation and enforcement outcomes at the end of the year or early next year, and the committee will develop enforcement metrics during that period.
What was not decided: the ordinance as amended leaves rates, permit or other administrative fees (if any) to the follow-up work of staff and the committee; the council did not change those items at this meeting.
Speaker-attributed quotes “we don't want a one-size-fits-all,” Mayor said when proposing the Daniel Island pilot, urging a data-driven approach to enforcement and rollout. Chairman added that staff will “report to this committee on how it's working on Daniel Island at some point at the end of the year, beginning of next year.”
Next steps: the ordinance was adopted as amended by the committee; further implementation details, including any administrative rules or enforcement plans, will be developed by staff and returned to the committee for review.
