Crestview council OKs first reading of ordinance restricting e-bikes and e-scooters on downtown sidewalks

Crestview City Council voted to approve on first reading an ordinance that would restrict electric micro-mobility devices — including e-bikes and e-scooters — from operating on downtown sidewalks and require their use in the street instead.

Staff said the county and municipalities worked in workshops to harmonize operational and parking requirements and to keep ADA mobility devices exempted from the restriction. The ordinance amends the city code to expand existing prohibitions on skateboards and similar devices to include electric micro-mobility devices downtown.

"The purpose of having all the cities together is so that people don't get confused," a council member said, noting regional consistency across nearby jurisdictions. The police department and staff participated in drafting the ordinance language, staff added.

Mayor Pro Tem moved, and Councilman Frost seconded, a motion to approve Ordinance 2,009 on first reading and send it to a second reading for adoption; the motion carried 4-0 with one absence.