The Eugene City Council will consider an ordinance tonight restricting the use of motor-assisted scooters on park paths and requiring stores to post laws concerning the vehicles.
A motor-assisted scooter is a vehicle operated with three wheels or less that has handlebars, a seat or foot support and a power source incapable of propelling the vehicle at speeds of more than 24 m.p.h.
on level ground, according to
the ordinance.
Complaints from pedestrians and bicyclists about the noise level and use of motor-assisted scooters on bike paths prompted the city to look at its laws, said Eugene police Sgt. Derel Schulz.
“When these things first started off, they were pretty (non-invasive),” said Schulz, who supervises the department’s traffic enforcement unit. “Now you have these things that can look almost like motorcycles.”
The law would prohibit motor-assisted scooters from all off-road paths and would require scooter retailers to post the laws governing motor-assisted scooters “in a prominent place,” according to the ordinance.
Existing city laws require motorized vehicles be kept off park bike paths, but don’t account for some sections of pathways, including the path between Alton Baker Park and Valley River Center, Schulz said.
Existing state laws also require users of motor-assisted vehicles to wear helmets, to not ride on sidewalks, not go faster than 15 m.p.h. and not travel on roads with speed limits of more than 25 m.p.h. unless they have bike lanes, Schulz said.
Citations for breaking motor-assisted scooter laws are generally $94, with a few fines of $25 and about $80, Schulz said.
He said the ordinance would fill in gaps in state and city laws. He didn’t believe it would affect many people in the Eugene area.
“Some people who use these devices as a means of commuting are now going to be more limited in terms of where they operate them,” Schulz said.
The council will discuss the ordinance at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Eugene City Council Chamber at
777 Pearl St.

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