The Estherville City Council has approved new regulations for e-bikes as well as electric scooters and skateboards on streets, sidewalks and multi-use trails. Estherville Police Chief Brent Shatto says the city ordinance for bicycles has been expanded to include battery-powered mobility devices.
A device also could be seized for a week on a first offense — and two weeks for a second offense.
A separate ordinance would have set a 10 mile per hour speed limit on city sidewalks, but it failed on a four-to-three vote during this week’s Estherville City Council meeting. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition says Iowa cities are considering regulations to address legitimate safety concerns about e-bikes, e-scooters, e-motos, and other high-powered mobility devices, but the group says a patchwork of different rules will be difficult for residents, law enforcement and visitors to understand. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is calling on the Iowa legislature to create a statewide framework for regulating these devices.
