Waukee council hears technical objections and outreach praise as city advances personal-transportation ordinance

Waukee, Iowa — The Waukee City Council held a first reading on a rewritten ordinance addressing personal transportation devices on June 23, adding definitions, registration and operational restrictions for high-speed devices that staff and council said are needed to protect pedestrians and trail users.

The police chief told council the update renames Chapter 76 to cover “personal transportation devices,” adds a definition for so-called “emoto” or high-speed pedestrian conveyances, and includes rules on registration, licensing, titling and insurance for certain classes of devices. The chief said the draft prohibits operation of these high-speed devices on sidewalks, trails, city parks and green spaces and leaves targeted street restrictions for lower-speed devices on streets over 25 mph.

The ordinance’s technical thresholds drew detailed public comment. Matthew Stefen, a resident who said he uses a one-wheeled self-balancing device, urged the council to drop wheel-count requirements and to measure device capability by average wattage rather than using a 170-pound rider speed test or an absolute 20 mph cap. “If my board is still restricted, I fear it would simply dump me rather than overcome the small rock,” Stefen said, arguing that wattage-based testing avoids unfair penalties for heavier riders and better captures real-world safety trade-offs.

Advocacy groups praised the revisions but asked for more regional alignment. Alex Rice, executive director of The Street Collective, said his organization and partners reviewed the draft with the Iowa Bicycling Coalition and Bike Iowa, and told the council that most major earlier concerns were addressed. Rice said the groups would submit written suggested edits to city staff and encouraged regional coordination so neighboring cities do not adopt inconsistent rules.

In response, staff acknowledged receiving roughly 57 comments from bicycle groups and said about 54 were incorporated where practical and consistent with state law and enforcement constraints. On the technical dispute over an “average wattage” test, the chief said the city lacks a practical way to measure average wattage in the field and therefore retained a speed-based threshold tied to 750 watts or greater or capable of exceeding 20 mph. He said the council’s goal is safety in areas with many pedestrian crossings and that the 20 mph threshold may already be lenient in town.

On enforcement, staff emphasized an education-first approach: marketing, pilot outreach events with partner agencies, and discretionary officer action. The ordinance creates a simple misdemeanor with a $25 fine as an enforcement backstop for repeat violations. The chief described potential pilot events and possible Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau funding to support safety outreach.

The measure was introduced as a first reading; the ordinance will return to the council for further consideration. City staff invited more written feedback from residents and advocacy groups before a final vote.

Next steps: the council did not take final action on the ordinance at the June 23 meeting; staff will accept and review written comments and return the ordinance for subsequent readings and a final vote.