Resident urges balanced approach to e‑bike and e‑scooter rules, calls for safer streets

Joseph Miller, a Waukesha resident, urged the council to take a balanced approach to proposed rules for e‑bikes and e‑scooters, saying pedestrian safety and rider access both matter.

“I understand the concern about fast riding on sidewalks and the need to protect pedestrians,” Miller said. He asked the city to ensure riders, especially students and children, have “a safe, practical place to ride” if sidewalks are restricted. Miller warned that if riders are left with no practical alternative, more trips will shift into cars, which he said is “inherently less safe for everyone else using our streets.”

Miller suggested pairing regulations against genuinely unsafe sidewalk behavior with small, low‑cost street improvements such as marked bike lanes, traffic calming near schools and parks, clearer signage, safe crossings and connected routes to recreation areas. “These do not need to be large expensive projects,” he said, calling them “small practical investments that make the city safer and more financially resilient over time.”