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Avon clarifies walking-path maintenance; resident warns e-scooters could turn trails into 'racetracks'
Summary
Council amended walking-path rules to limit adjacent homeowners' responsibilities to snow removal for City-funded paths, while a resident warned high-speed e-scooters could create safety and liability issues and urged clearer permitted-vehicle rules and enforcement plans.
Law Director John Gasior explained proposed changes to Chapter 660 to clarify responsibilities for the French Creek Greenway Phase 1 and similar public paths, saying the amended language limits adjacent homeowners' duties: "Only snow removal up to 5 feet is expected from the homeowners," and the ordinance applies to City-installed or publicly funded greenways at least eight feet wide.
During public comment Craig Young of French Creek Road expressed concern that high-speed e-scooters could turn the new paths into "racetracks," questioned who would be liable in accidents involving maintenance problems or speeding scooters, and urged clearer rules about which modes of transportation would be allowed. Mayor Jensen acknowledged enforcement challenges but said the City intends to prohibit certain motorized vehicles on the paths (specifically four-wheelers and go-karts) and emphasized the need for an educational component to encourage safe use.
Council members asked for clarity on the ordinance's limits and liability exposure; Gasior noted that the changes were intended to protect homeowners from excessive maintenance obligations while preserving City responsibility for upkeep of publicly funded, wider greenways.
