Wait and see on vehicles on sidewalks

While elected officials in Nichols Hills have outlawed motorized vehicles on city sidewalks and park trails and enacted a $260 fine for violators, officials in The Village are taking a wait-and-see approach to enacting similar ordinances.

Village elected officials broached the topic of e-bikes on city sidewalks during council member comments near the end of their January City Council meeting. Conversations drew mixed reactions to the idea of prohibiting motorized vehicles on city sidewalks. 

In recent years The Village has spent millions to make the city more walkable with sidewalks providing access to all seven city parks, as well as the city’s two grocers – Fresh by Reaser’s, 9515 N. May Ave., and Walmart Neighborhood market, 9300 N. Pennsylvania.

The Village sidewalk plan connects with the $96.5 million Oklahoma City sidewalk, bike lanes and trails system providing connectivity to key areas throughout the metro area.

“It’s an interesting trend,” said Village City Manager Dave Slezickey. “As we have a higher density than Nichols Hills, I would assume that most of their sidewalks are for recreation while ours have a high usage as transit.

“There are many commuters who previously rode bicycles that now ride electric bike or electric scooters. It’s an affordable mode of transportation to and from work, restaurants and shopping,” said Slezickey. “In many scenarios, it appears that e-bikes can safely share sidewalks with pedestrians.

“Many cities are challenged with the e-bikes and sidewalks and bike lanes,” he added. “I think we will continue to look at it, and if we draft an ordinance for city code, it will probably be about safe operations and provide penalty for unsafe usage.”

Many of the sidewalks in The Village provide separate lanes for pedestrians and e-bikes and scooters.

Ward 2 Councilman Bubba Symes wants the city to take its time and look at what the needs are for the city.

“I would like to get together with our police chief and city manager and analyze our needs are for The Village as far as scooter activity,” said Symes. “I have not noticed as much activity as in other cities.

“We should get input from our officers who are on the streets every day and have valuable knowledge,” he said. “We are less than three square miles in area, and we need to understand how any new laws will affect the total community.

“I have only seen maybe two golf carts in my driving and around the city and I would think our officers deal with these as needed,” he added. “Electric scooters are maybe more prevalent but to what degree?

“I think Oklahoma City treats electric scooters as street travel, as well as bikes, but let’s take a longer look and get input from our officers and see what they are seeing around our community.”