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Developer offers annexation assistance; resident urges action on e-bike safety
Summary
During public comment, developer Jared Kirk offered to meet with staff about annexation east of Criswell, and resident Rick Bockel warned of dangerous e-bike and mini dirt-bike use on sidewalks and the bike path near Red Fox Road; the mayor said ordinances prohibit such use and staff are working on enforcement and policy options.
Two members of the public addressed the Bettendorf City Council during the non-agenda public comment period on June 2.
Jared Kirk, a local developer who said he has 25 years of experience building in the Quad Cities, offered the council and staff his group’s insights on the annexation of an area east of Criswell and said he and other developers would be available to meet one-on-one or as a group to answer questions and provide background.
Later in the public-comment period, resident Rick Bockel described recurring unsafe activity by e-bikes and small motorized dirt bikes near Red Fox Road and 53rd, including riders popping wheelies across crosswalks and cutting through the Quick Star parking area. Bockel said elderly walkers on the adjacent bike path are at risk and asked whether the city has plans to address enforcement and safety. "He could have got killed," Bockel said of a recent incident; he urged the council to act because he fears someone will be seriously hurt.
Mayor Robert Gallagher responded that the city’s current ordinances prohibit that type of use on the bike path but acknowledged enforcement is challenging. He told Bockel the city is "working internally on some new changes in policies and procedures" and that staff and the police department are assessing options to improve enforcement.
No formal council action was taken during public comment. The council moved on to a scheduled public hearing later in the meeting.
