TEMPE, AZ (AZFamily) — The city of Tempe has formed a special city council committee to address safety concerns involving e-bikes and scooters following numerous crashes often resulting in serious injuries.
With a population of more than 190,000, the East Valley city sees significant daily traffic from commuters and visitors.
“We have 100,000 people coming to Tempe every day, extra,” said Tempe councilmember Jennifer Adams, who is the chair of the newly formed Motorized and Electric Mobility Device Safety Council Subcommittee.
Whether for work, school, or visits, Tempe’s streets can get congested. E-bikes and scooters have become more common.
“I’ve seen so many close calls,” Adams said.
City officials reviewed recent data during the subcommittee’s first meeting on Wednesday. From 2021 to 2024, Tempe saw 388 serious injuries or deadly collisions. 30% of those involved pedestrians or bicycle units, which include “micro mobility devices.”
In 66% of cases, the rider was the primary cause of the violation. “Head injuries can be life-changing,” Adams said.
The group meets monthly to discuss possible actions.
“Based on those meetings, we’ll decide what to bring to council, and then have a vote on ordinance changes,” Adams said.
During the meeting, another city official explained that Tempe code currently has minimal regulation on e-bikes and scooters, and improvements are needed.
The first meeting focused on brainstorming. Committee members discussed the possibility of requiring helmets, lowering speed limits, and using drones to track violators.
Adams also identified another issue: rental e-scooters and bikes being left on sidewalks and blocking paths, sometimes for days. The committee discussed instituting a time limit for companies to retrieve them or face fines.
“It’s all about safety,” Adams said, whether for pedestrians, drivers or e-riders.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2026 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
