Council reviews draft e-bicycle and powered-scooter code; opts against registration

Village Administrator Haley Lupton presented a preliminary draft code to regulate e-bicycles and powered scooters, and Clerk Justin Dreier summarized proposed revisions to Chapters 301, 331, 337, 371 and 373. The draft would generally regulate e-bicycles and powered scooters in line with existing bicycle rules, address helmet guidance for minors, and set parameters for shared-use paths, sidewalks and related speed limits.

Council members emphasized community education over criminalizing helmet use for minors. Council Member Toni Arnold suggested school-based education and a Safety Town program and proposed partnering with Memorial Health for in-school programs. Council Member Jamey Sintz said he was hesitant to make helmet usage a law because of enforcement challenges, though he supported enforceable speed limits; Chief Dale McKee agreed that a helmet mandate would be difficult to enforce and recommended bicycle-patrol officers focus on education.

On registration, Council by unanimous consent agreed that an e-bicycle and powered scooter registration system is not desired. Council asked staff to revise the draft to remove provisions deemed unnecessary, to add a brief summary for public review, and to fine-tune signage language so the code would not require excessive signage. Lupton said a related but separate staff project will review under-speed and low-speed vehicle regulations (commonly known as golf carts) for applicability.