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The Danville Town Council is set to review a proposed ordinance that would update the town’s municipal code to include an explicit ban of electric scooters and e-bikes from sidewalks in the Downtown Business District.
The move comes both as the vehicles have grown in popularity in recent years and amid an uptick in complaints from downtown business owners and residents according to town staff, with the Danville Police Department increasing their messaging on existing e-bike and scooter regulations in recent months.
“With the growing popularity and presence of e-bicycles and e-scooters, there has been an increase in activity and reported concerns of riders utilizing sidewalks throughout the Town, particularly in the Downtown Business District,” Development Services Director Diane Friedmann wrote in a staff report prepared for the upcoming meeting. “Town staff is frequently asked by the public for clarification on current laws pertaining to the general use of e-bicycles and e-scooters, and more specifically, the use of these devices as well as conventional bicycles on sidewalks.”
While state law forbids the use of e-bikes and scooters on sidewalks, the law also states that general bicycle use on sidewalks is determined by local ordinances, Friedmann wrote. This means that the use of motorized scooters on sidewalks is prohibited statewide, but that e-bikes are subject to the regulations of bicycles on sidewalks determined by local municipalities.
In Danville, there is no existing ordinance regulating the use of any vehicles on sidewalks other than a section in the municipal code prohibiting the unlawful use of skateboards in the Downtown Business District.
“There have been an increasing number of complaints reported from residents, merchants, and property owners in the Downtown area regarding the use of e-bicycles, and e-scooters on sidewalks,” Friedmann wrote. “Enforcing public safety in relation to this issue has been increasingly challenging for the Police Department.”
Since May, DPD has been making additional outreach efforts to educate residents on the use of motorized vehicles on sidewalks and other regulations amid the uptick in inquiries and complaints. The topic has also been part of discussions on the Downtown Master Plan Catalyst Project, leading to a council study session on May 14 to evaluate state vehicle code regulations and existing town ordinances.
Town staff presented a proposed ordinance prohibiting the use of all vehicles on sidewalks in the Downtown Business District to the Bicycle Advisory Commission on May 20, which voted unanimously to recommend that the Town Council adopt the ordinance. In a study session on June 11, the council directed staff to exclude non-motorized vehicles from the proposed ordinance and to expand the language to include all business districts in the town as defined by state law rather than only downtown.
The ordinance is set to be introduced at the upcoming council meeting before returning for a second reading at the July 16 council meeting.
The Danville Town Council is set to meet at 5 p.m. on Tuesday (July 2). The agenda is available here.
