The Estherville City Council has approved new regulations for e-bikes as well as electric scooters and skateboards on streets, sidewalks and multi-use trails.
Estherville Police Chief Brent Shatto said the city ordinance for bicycles has been expanded to include battery-powered mobility devices. “A person could be cited with a citation for running a stop sign or excessive speed or careless driving,” Shatto said.
A device also could be seized for a week on a first offense — and two weeks for a second offense. “The goal isn’t here to issue a boatload of citations,” Shatto said. “It’s to get folks to ride them in a safe manner and drive them in a safe manner.”
A separate ordinance would have set a 10 mile per hour speed limit on city sidewalks, but it failed on a four-to-three vote during this week’s Estherville City Council meeting.
The Iowa Bicycle Coalition says Iowa cities are considering regulations to address legitimate safety concerns about e-bikes, e-scooters, e-motos, and other high-powered mobility devices, but the group said a patchwork of different rules will be difficult for residents, law enforcement and visitors to understand. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition has called on the Iowa legislature to create a statewide framework for regulating these devices.
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