Council pauses personal transportation-device ordinance and seeks broader public outreach

The council removed the proposed bike/personal-transportation-device ordinance from tonight’s agenda and discussed outreach and communications steps before formal action. The mayor said the agenda item was pulled and staff indicated the change related to RAGBRA scheduling.

Several councilmembers urged broader outreach so residents beyond active bicycling advocates can review the draft ordinance and provide input. One councilmember said the aim is to "have everybody know enough to be able to participate in the discussion," and urged staff to post clear links to the proposed resolution and highlighted changes. The city manager and communications staff agreed they can bring additional attention to the item and the manager said the chief will follow up specifically on comments from the Street Collective to clarify perceived misstatements about the draft.

Staff told the council that the plan is to start the ordinance process on Aug. 3, with the understanding that the ordinance will proceed through multiple readings and that edits can be made in second and third readings. Councilmembers also proposed targeted outreach to parents and schools given the timing before the school year.

What happens next: staff will publish clearer links and highlights of the proposed ordinance, the police chief will follow up on concerns raised by the Street Collective, and the council expects an initial ordinance reading or action on Aug. 3. The transcript does not record final text changes or a vote on the ordinance.