By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green City Council is considering an ordinance that would clean up confusion about where electric scooters can be legally used in the city.
According to City Attorney Hunter Brown, the city currently has conflicting ordinances on the books regarding low-speed micromobility devices – defined as devices with handlebars, propelled by an electric or gas motor, with a speed of not more than 20 mph.
Currently, wording in one ordinance allows motorized scooters on sidewalks, and one does not. That had led to problems for the police division, Brown said.
“You can’t enforce competing sections of the law,” he said.
The change would abolish language stating that e-scooters can be operated on sidewalks. They will be permitted on streets, shared bicycle/pedestrian pathways, and in bike lanes. Human-powered scooters will continue to be allowed on sidewalks.
Operators of e-scooters are required to:
- Yield the right-of-way to all pedestrians at all times.
- Give an audible signal before overtaking and passing pedestrians.
- When operating at night, users must be equipped with a headlamp pointing to the front that emits a white light visible from a distance of not less than 500 feet, and a red reflector facing the rear that is visible from 100 to 600 feet.
- Not operate at a speed greater than 20 mph.
City Council heard the first reading of this ordinance during its Aug. 4 meeting. Two more readings are required before it can be voted on by council.
In other business at the Aug. 4 meeting, citizen Joe DeMare spoke at length about the value of the city designing the proposed new fire stations to “make them an example of the future of energy.”
DeMare suggested the new stations should be equipped with solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling, and back-up battery systems.
By doing this, Bowling Green would be better able to handle serious disaster situations, he said.
“If we’re building new, I think we should build resilient,” DeMare said.
