The operation of motorized scooters in the city was a topic of discussion at Tuesday’s Erlanger City Council meeting.
The discussion was brought by Councilmember Jennifer Jasper-Lucas, who earlier this month called to implement new safety guidelines after hearing concerns from residents and business owners. According to Jasper-Lucas, residents observed riders not wearing helmets or operating electronics while using scooters.
Jasper-Lucas said the city has no intention to remove motorized scooters from city streets or establish formal legislation on how they can and cannot be used, but rather to establish safety guidelines and community education on safe use.
While the City Council did not decide on any concrete guidelines or safety measures at its caucus meeting, councilmembers instead decided to pass along the concerns as a project for Erlanger’s Community Engagement Coordinator. While the city doesn’t currently have the position filled, it began accepting applications for the role last month.
“We feel this will be a great project for that position to take on,” said Jasper-Lucas. “The community education can include what KRS currently already says about scooters and other similar devices such as hoverboards and segways, as well as how to safely operate these devices within the city, on streets and sidewalks.”
KRS guidance states that individuals over 16 can operate motorized scooters, provided they follow traffic regulations. These regulations include having working headlamps and rear lights at dawn, dusk, and night and parking the scooter out of the way of pedestrians and other traffic.
While there’s no current legislation regarding motorized scooters, Erlanger does have a policy on skateboard usage, which Jasper-Lucas earlier this month said may also need updating. Currently, the policy states that skateboards are not allowed to be used on streets or highways, sidewalks around business or commercial areas, and requires that skateboarders must yield to pedestrians.