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Resident urges enforcement after near-misses from drivers and e-bikes on Hutchinson paths
Summary
At the July 28 council meeting, resident Ross Raskos described repeated near-misses while walking and urged stricter enforcement of traffic laws and reconsideration of electric bikes and scooters on sidewalks and paths, citing a state statute about yielding at intersections.
Resident Ross Raskos told the council he walks 25 to 30 miles a week and has experienced multiple near-misses from motorists and incidents involving electric bikes and scooters. He said drivers are "running stop signs, rolling through running traffic light," and that sidewalk and path users are endangered by heavier electric models.
"People are there's no traffic enforcement. People are running stop signs, rolling through running traffic light...I had a car just last week...going through an intersection against the light," Ross said, recounting several close calls. He also told the council the state statute—he cited "Minnesota state statute 169.21"—requires vehicles to yield at marked and unmarked intersections.
Ross urged enforcement and pointed to heavier, faster electric two- and three-wheel devices that can reach speeds and weights he described as unsafe for sidewalks. Council members acknowledged the concerns and the mayor and others said they hear similar reports along paths by the river; no formal directive or policy change was recorded during the meeting.
