City putting foot down on scooters

Spokane’s laissez faire approach to motorized foot scooters may be changing.

A draft proposal before the city’s Public Safety Committee would ban the scooters for riders under age 16 and in “congested areas” such as downtown, as well as retail zones and city parks. The proposal must eventually go before the City Council, which would have to approve it before it took effect.

Monday, City Prosecutor Howard Delaney presented the committee with the first draft of an ordinance that would set guidelines for the hippest and most fuel-efficient way of zipping around town.

Age, speed limits, helmet use, lights and where scooter bikes would be allowed to be ridden are among the items addressed in the proposed draft ordinance.

Currently, anyone of any age can ride the scooters anywhere around town, day or night. Scooters ridden at night must have proper lights. It also would be unlawful for any person to operate or ride a motorized foot scooter on sidewalks, public trails, or on streets with posted speed limits greater than 25 mph. Any person operating a motorized foot scooter in a public area would have to wear an approved helmet, more in the style of a motorcycle helmet than a bicycle helmet.

“We tried to throw in a kitchen sink on this first draft and then look at what’s appropriate, what’s not,” Delaney told council members Joe Shogan, Cherie Rodgers and Bob Apple, who sit on the Public Safety Committee.

Although there are state guidelines for motorized foot scooters – defined as everything from traditional-looking motorized scooters to souped-up mini-motorbikes – cities are responsible for their own laws. There were four different motor scooter bills discussed by Washington state legislators in 2003 and 2004, but none passed.

Delaney said that when drafting the proposal, city attorneys modeled it in part after Yakima and Puyallup codes. Delaney said motorized wheelchairs and electric personal assistive mobility devices would not be affected.

“I’m concerned about the age of people on these things. I am concerned about the speed of these mini-monsters, and if you’re going to go that fast, wear a decent helmet,” Spokane Police Chief Roger Bragdon said. “And now we’re getting noise problems.”

The proposal also would require scooters to have properly functioning mufflers.

Currently, scooters have the same access to roads as bicycles. Because of the lenient rules, they have become a popular way to get around for people whose driver’s license has been suspended.

Barry Parish, owner of The Scooter Superstore on North Division, was among a dozen citizens who attended Monday’s session. A self-proclaimed resident expert on scooters, Parish said he would like to work with the City Council in an effort to come up with an equitable solution for everyone.

“There are a lot of people who are pro-scooters,” Parish said. “There are a lot of law-abiding people who love this city and love this country and are riding scooters. They are obeying the law and getting to work on time. We need to address it in a way where we can examine all the issues.”

The proposed ordinance will be adjusted and discussed again at the next Public Safety Committee meeting on Sept. 20. It could go to the City Council for a vote as early as November.