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Council sends updated sidewalks ordinance (ebikes and scooters) to traffic and public-safety panels
Summary
Council referred a proposed update to Chapter 21 (streets and sidewalks) to the Traffic Commission and Public Safety to clarify rules and enforcement for bicycles, e-bikes and other motorized wheeled vehicles, including a 5 mph guideline for sidewalk operation and exceptions for children and mobility devices.
Councilor Brian Sapienza introduced a draft ordinance on June 9 to update the citys streets-and-sidewalks code to reflect new micro-mobility devices (e-bikes, scooters and motorized skateboards). The draft aims to narrow definitions, identify where wheeled vehicles may not be used, and provide officers more clarity for enforcement while allowing safe exceptions (children, mobility-assist vehicles, and dismounted transit through constrained areas).
Council voted to send the draft to the Traffic Commission and Public Safety with a return date at the first meeting in September to allow staff, police and commissioners to vet technical language and enforcement implications. Councilors discussed practical concerns such as hills, parked cars that push cyclists onto sidewalks, and distinctions between low-speed mobility devices and faster motorized boards.
Next steps: The Traffic Commission and Public Safety will review statutory language and look for model language (including MMA guidance and neighboring communities' ordinances) before returning a recommended version to the council.
