Trustees urge education, school outreach after residents report very young children riding e-scooters

Residents at the meeting raised safety concerns after observing very young children riding electric scooters near sidewalks, school lots and streets. One resident said children sometimes rode scooters in ways that posed hazards to themselves and drivers.

Trustees and police staff described a two-part approach: enforcement and education. A trustee noted, "We already have enforcement out there," and said the police have worked with schools to remove scooters and contact parents; officers have been directed in some instances to pick up scooters and require parents to retrieve them. Chief Stapleton (police chief) and Officer Camples were referenced as participants in producing educational materials.

Trustees said state law prohibits scooter operation by people under age 16 and that local ordinances mirror state restrictions. Because enforcement resources are finite, board members emphasized school partnerships and public education as the most effective near-term response: pinning or reposting an educational video, coordinating outreach before holidays when scooter purchases spike, and using school communications to discourage students from bringing scooters to campus.

Suggestions included encouraging children to carry identification, using the police department's registration database for photos and contact details, and hosting bike- and scooter-safety events at parks and libraries. "If there was an accident involving one of these, yeah, go there and you're going to need to write a citation and take that away," a trustee said, urging residents to report unsafe riders to dispatch so officers can prioritize incidents.

No new ordinance changes or immediate mass enforcement actions were adopted at the meeting; trustees said they will continue outreach with school districts and step up public education and targeted enforcement when incidents are reported.

Provenance: E-scooter safety was raised by residents and discussed with police and trustees (topic began at SEG 1333 and continued through SEG 1566).