 - The Lander City Council passed an ordinance on first reading last week creating new rules for bicycles, human-powered scooters, skateboards, electric bicycles, one-wheeled devices, and powered scooters in town.){kind=link}
(Lander, WY) – The Lander City Council passed an ordinance on first reading last week creating new rules for bicycles, human-powered scooters, skateboards, electric bicycles, one-wheeled devices, and powered scooters in town.
Currently, the town code only covers bicycles, scooters, and skateboards, meaning there are no local laws in place for the electronic riding devices – which have become more prevalent in Lander over the past year or so.
“That’s largely what’s driving this: having all the e-things out there,” Mayor Missy White said during a July 28 work session on the topic.
Councilmember Julia Stuble agreed that more e-bikes and other electronic devices have appeared in Lander over the past year, and she commended the city for being “proactive” in addressing the emerging issue.
“We’re taking this seriously before something terrible happens,” she said, guessing that, like her, other community members have witnessed people riding e-bikes and similar electronic devices “unsafely” in town. “(There is) growing awareness. … Folks (are) coming to staff and us saying, ‘There’s a gap here in our system, so let’s fill it.’”
Definitions, rules
The ordinance the council passed on first reading last week defines three “classes” of electric bicycles.
Class 1 electric bicycles are defined in the ordinance as having motors that provide assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that stop providing assistance once the bicycle reaches a speed of 20 miles per hour.
Class 3 electric bicycles are similar, but their motors stop providing assistance when the bicycle reaches 28 mph, according to the ordinance, and Class 2 electric bicycles have motors that can be used to propel the bicycle without pedaling, but they aren’t able to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches 20 mph.
All three classes of bicycles, as well as powered scooters/skateboards and one-wheeled devices, are prohibited for use on local sidewalks, according to the ordinance, though Class 1 electric bicycles and powered scooters may be operated on the Lander Walking Path.
For bicycles, human-powered scooters, and human-powered skateboards, the ordinance says riding is permitted on the Lander Walking Path and on local sidewalks – except those in the designated Dismount Zone on Main Street downtown.
Users of bicycles, human-powered scooters, and human-powered skateboards must also yield the right-of-way to pedesetrians when riding on local sidewalks, the ordinance states.
Both of those rules already exist in the current code, which prohibits bicycle, scooter, and skatebaord riding within the 100-900 blocks of Main Street and requires bicycle, scooter and skateboard riders to yield to pedestrians on sidewalks.
However, the new ordinance now adds that all of the vehicles mentioned – including bicycles, human-powered scooters, skateboards, electric bicycles, or powered devices – must be equipped with and use a forward-facing white light and a rear-facing red light when operated 30 minutes after sunset and 30 minutes before sunrise, the ordinance states.
The ordinance also prohibits users in all categories from riding their devices “in a reckless manner” or engaging in “trick riding” on public streets, sidewalks, or the Lander Walking Path, and it requires people under age 16 to wear helmets when operating electric bicycles or powered devices on public streets or on the Lander Walking Path – though it also notes that “the city encourages all operators and passengers of bicycles, human-powered scooters, skateboards, electric bicycles, and powered scooters to wear properly fitted safety helmets regardless of age.”
Education
Anyone who violates the ordinance could be fined up to $750, according to the draft that passed last week – but law enforcement may choose to issue a written warning for a first offense if the officer involved “determines that a warning would adequately address the violation and promote compliance.”
The ordinance also provides an alternative penalty that may be used for juveniles under the age of 16, who could instead be required to appear in Lander Municipal Court with a parent or legal guardian and, upon conviction, pay a fine of up to $25 for each offense.
Lander Police Department Chief Kelly Waugh said he appreciates those sections of the ordinance, because they give local officers plenty of opportunities to educate people about the new rules before handing out steep fines.
Education will be “the heaviest lift” of implementing the ordinance, Waugh predicted, and White agreed, noting that she has already asked local cycling organizations, school officials, and other stakeholders to help disseminate information about the proposed new rules throughout the community – and to provide input about the ordinance, like two members of the Lander Cycling Club did when they expressed support for the proposal last week.
“We certainly want to continue hearing your feedback,” White said, noting that the council has to approve the ordinance two more times before it becomes law. “Call or email us with your thoughts (or) come to the next meeting and provide public comment.”
For more information, call the City of Lander at (307) 332-2870.