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Glendale council debates e‑bike and scooter rules after resident reports dangerous riding
Summary
After a resident described children and minibikes blowing through stop signs, councilors and staff discussed enforcement, code limits for e‑bikes/scooters, and possible ordinance changes; city staff will pursue targeted patrols and public education and can draft ordinance language if directed.
A resident’s public comment about stop‑sign violations and near misses sparked a broad council discussion about electric bicycles, rental scooters and small motorized minibikes.
At public comment Mark Burnernhard told the council he had seen groups of vehicles and electric minibikes running stop signs near Argyle and Crestwood Boulevard, creating hazards for pedestrians and children walking to Windgate Park. "They blew through the stop sign. They accelerated," Burnernhard said, asking for police patrols during the afternoon hours he described.
City Administrator Carl briefed the council on current municipal code and state law covering bicycles, e‑bikes and electric scooters. He explained there are three federally recognized e‑bike classes: class 1 and class 2 assist to 20 mph; class 3 can provide assistance up to 28 mph and requires riders to be at least 16. Carl said e‑motorcycles and many small motorized minibikes are not street legal. The city currently bans rental electric scooters from sidewalks and bike paths and limits scooter operation on roads with speed limits above 30 mph; dockless rental operators must have a permit under code section 10.9.2.
The City Attorney outlined state guidance from a 2019 statute that allows local regulation, including restricting short‑term commercial rental of electric scooters and imposing parking and impound rules. "The statute specifically says that you can restrict or prohibit the short‑term commercial rental of electric scooters to the general public," the City Attorney said, noting municipalities can require retrieval fees or impoundment if renters abandon devices.
Police leadership told councilors some devices are quiet and hard to detect, and recommended targeted patrols and increased social‑media outreach as near‑term steps. "When you see something like this, you need to address it," the Police Chief said, describing plans to prioritize enforcement when officers are available.
Councilors debated enforcement versus ordinance change. Some favored targeted enforcement and parent outreach rather than banning devices citywide, citing the risk of unintended consequences in areas where sidewalk use is safer than street use. Others supported drafting an ordinance to ban e‑bikes from sidewalks where necessary. Council direction: staff will increase targeted patrols, produce public‑education messages about rules of the road for bikes and e‑bikes, and prepare draft ordinance language if the council wants to pursue code changes in the future.
No ordinance was adopted at the meeting; councilors asked staff to return with options and suggested using schools and social media to notify parents and riders.
