- Boone County officials are considering how to regulate e-bikes and e-scooters as their use continues to grow, particularly among younger riders.
- Sheriff’s Office data shows 19 documented vehicle-versus-scooter incidents since Dec. 30, 2024, with more than half involving riders under 16.
- Potential regulations could address speed, rider age, helmets, distracted riding, right-of-way and parental responsibility, but the fiscal court has not taken legislative action.
Boone County resident Larry Snyder said his wife, Janice, was seriously injured when a rider of a motorized scooter struck her while the couple was walking along a multiuse path near England Idlewild Park.
Snyder, who spoke during the Boone County Fiscal Court’s Thursday, Sept. 24, caucus meeting, told officials that his wife suffered a fractured femur and three fractures in her knee. Snyder pleaded with the body to adopt stronger safety measures for riders.
“She’s got a steel plate in there now,” Snyder said. “Seven screws. Four weeks in the hospital. Six weeks of therapy. Something needs to be done with these things.”
The fiscal court meeting gave Boone County Assistant County Attorney Bill Noble an opportunity to present findings from the county’s interdisciplinary team studying e-bikes and e-scooters while also allowing officials to gather public feedback that could help inform future legislative actions. Throughout the meeting, Noble used “micromobility devices” as an umbrella term for e-bikes and e-scooters.
Over the past few years, micromobility devices have gained traction in Northern Kentucky as a convenient form of transportation in urban and suburban areas, particularly among teenagers. The growing use of micromobility devices has coincided with an increase in injuries involving riders and pedestrians, both locally and nationally. The trend has prompted calls from some Boone County residents for stricter safety regulations, with concerns that the technology has outpaced the laws governing their use.
Noble presented data compiled by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office showing 19 documented vehicle-versus-scooter incidents since Dec. 30, 2024, with more than half involving riders younger than 16. Two of the documented incidents involved 7-year-olds riding e-scooters who were struck by moving vehicles. Both riders were injured, prompting emergency medical services to be dispatched.
Noble pointed out that the data does not capture every incident, as crashes involving only an e-bike or scooter may go unreported or may not result in an official report.
Boone County adopted its existing traffic ordinance in 2018. It generally prevents motorized vehicles from being operated on sidewalks and multi-use paths, with limited exceptions for disability-access vehicles and battery-powered children’s toys.
“If the ordinance as currently written remains in effect, each of these (micro-mobility devices) appear to meet the current definition of a motorized vehicle, and if the ordinance is strictly enforced, riders of any motorized vehicles or what we’re going to call micro-mobility devices, regardless of age, will be forced onto the streets if they want to use them as a means of transportation,” Noble said.
Officials also broached whether any future local ordinances should address factors such as speed, rider age, helmets, distracted riding, right-of-way, parental responsibility, as well as if sidewalks and wider multi-use paths should be subject to different rules.
During public comment, Ralph Mitchell, former chair of the Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeway Commission, argued that any new regulations should be paired with investment into safety education for riders.
“It doesn’t matter what you guys do here to pass county ordinances — what Frankfort does to pass laws,” he said. “Without the educational component, it’s pointless.”
Austin Palmer, a teenager and a frequent e-bike rider, offered a different perspective. He said micromobility devices give teenagers greater independence, providing them with an affordable way to meet up and travel to and from their friends’ houses. He emphasized that while he supports increased safety requirements, he also wants to preserve legal places for young people to ride.
“I understand there is a problem with unsafe riding, and it should be addressed. I myself wear a helmet and follow traffic laws, as so do my friends I ride with,” Palmer said. “What I am asking is to keep e-bikes legal to use on appropriate roadways and sidewalks, so long as fair safety rules and laws are followed, such as wearing a helmet, stopping at stop signs, waiting at crosswalks, slowing down around people.”
No legislative action was taken by the fiscal court, with discussions expected to resume at future meetings.
