Worthington City Council postponed a vote on new restrictions for electric bikes and scooters and other personal vehicles in the city after over an hour of discussion on rider education, bikes on sidewalks, age limits and more at its Oct. 5 meeting.
City Council was set to vote on an ordinance that would have required riders under 18 to wear helmets, banned minors under 14 from operating e-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards and other personal vehicles, established penalties for violating the city's rules and added a slew of other requirements and restrictions to the city's code.
After council spent over an hour deliberating on adding new restrictions to the ordinance, modifying its requirements and establishing an education program, the body voted
7-0 to postpone action on the ordinance and send it back to city staff to make amendments for a vote Nov. 2.
Specifically, council wants city staff to look into a five-foot passing distance requirement for cars going around bicyclists and other riders, an education requirement for e-bike, scooter and other personal vehicle riders between the ages of 12 and 16, and the viability of adding a requirement that riders of electric bikes and other motorized vehicles disengage their motors when passing a pedestrian on a sidewalk.
Four citizens spoke during the public portion of the meeting, most of whom supported regulations.
Council's postponement comes amid a wave of central Ohio suburbs passing new e-bike and e-scooter regulations as the vehicles surge in popularity across the country, especially among children.
Reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com, @NathanRHart on X and nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Worthington City Council postpones vote on new e-bike, e-scooter law
