Worthington City Council spent the lion's share of the April 13 meeting on a set of proposed regulations for e-bikes, e-scooters, and the growing list of small electric and gas-powered devices now common on city streets and sidewalks: hoverboards, one-wheels, e-skateboards, and mini dirt bikes. No vote was taken. Council gave staff direction to draft ordinance language for a future meeting.
Assistant Law Director Addison Spriggs led the presentation on behalf of a working group that included Director and City Engineer John Moorehead, members of the Worthington Police Department, Jennifer Stanich (recently named chair of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board), board member Rebecca Green, and Celia Thornton from the Parks and Recreation Department.
Why Now
City Manager Robyn Stewart told council the topic comes up regularly at the Central Ohio Mayors and Managers group as device usage has climbed. Spriggs said estimates put device users above 100 million worldwide and e-bikes at around 300 million. Studies from Nationwide Children's, Harvard Health, and the American Academy of Pediatrics show injuries and emergency-room visits rising. Injuries from these devices, Spriggs said, are often "akin to motorcycle accidents because they are going at faster rates of speed than the traditional bicycle".
The Gaps in Current Law
Spriggs said Ohio's definitions have become a patchwork: e-bicycles, low-speed micromobility devices, electric personal assistive mobility devices, low-speed vehicles. Classification depends on things like weight, number of wheels, handlebars, and motor output.
Worthington's own ordinances cover bicycles, motorcycles, and e-bikes but not e-scooters or the broader category of newer devices. Ohio also does not regulate commercial e-scooter programs such as Lime or VO, leaving those rules to municipalities. Council Member Lloyd asked whether the city had previously run a pilot with Lime. Stewart confirmed the city had, and said Lime pulled out after a couple of years because usage was too low. Council member Hermann added that a VO scooter has been left at the intersection of Rieber Street and West Wilson Bridge Road for two and a half to three weeks, and staff are working on a way to remove it.
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What Other Communities Are Doing
Spriggs reviewed two regional approaches:
- Upper Arlington: Chose not to create new regulations, running a public service announcement campaign focused on safety and education. It updated its vehicle definition to include e-bikes and e-scooters.
- New Albany: Took a more regulatory approach. Updated its vehicle definition, required helmets for anyone under 18, required these devices to obey the same traffic laws as traditional bicycles, banned motor-engaged use on sidewalks, and allowed motors on shared-use paths with a 10 mph speed limit.
Spriggs acknowledged Worthington is "a bit ahead of the curve" compared with most Central Ohio communities.
The Working Group's Recommendations
The group brought several proposals for council direction:
- Broaden the vehicle definition to include all small electric or gas-powered devices (e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards, hoverboards, one-wheels, mini dirt bikes) with forward-looking "or any other similar device" language.
- Add a helmet definition and require helmets for all minors operating these devices. Class 3 e-bikes, which approach 30 miles per hour, already require helmets for all ages under existing ordinance.
- Allow devices on sidewalks but cap the speed at the "average pace of a walk." Moorehead explained the standard was chosen because many devices don't have speedometers and radar is not effective at low speeds. An officer could visually tell if a rider is overtaking a pedestrian.
- Allow the City Manager or designee to prohibit devices in specific public areas via signage — for example, the farmers market footprint on Saturdays, Market Day, or parades.
- Prohibit minors from operating devices with passengers to reduce distraction.
- Classify violations as minor misdemeanors, with outcomes including fines, safety-education courses, or a diversion program.
- Update Chapter 373 of the city's ordinances to extend bicycle and motorcycle rules (lights, reflectors, yielding to pedestrians) to the broader device category.
- Companion community outreach and police training, including safety-equipment giveaways, booths at Stroll and Roll / Market Day / the Farmer's Market, and a possible registry system to help return stolen or abandoned devices to owners.
Council Reactions
Council members were split on how far to go.
Council Member Glen Pratt said he was not a fan of these devices, citing friends and clients seriously injured in crashes, including a longtime investment banker client who nearly died of a traumatic brain injury after an e-scooter malfunction. "My feedback would be the more we can do to restrict them", he said, including requiring helmets for everyone, not just minors.
Council Member Joycelyn Dong raised pedestrian safety on shared spaces, saying she knows "numerous folks who have gone to Bridge Park recently and while on the actual walking path along the bridge have been almost hit by e-devices". Dong asked the working group to frame the rules explicitly as protection for pedestrians and to consider walkability as part of the purpose. Dong also asked whether private businesses on properties like the Wilson Bridge corridor could prohibit the devices on their own walking paths. Spriggs confirmed they could: "Private businesses, if it's their property… they have the ability to post signs".
Council Member Maria Ramirez pointed to the upside of e-mobility. She stated many families rely on cargo-style e-bikes to carry children. "When it's an adult driving a bicycle that is designed to carry children, I think we have to be open to allowing that to happen as well", she said.
Council member Rebecca Hermann said she would support a 10-mile-per-hour sidewalk speed limit but would not support blocking two people from riding one device. Council member Ramirez thanked the working group for moving early, noting that in other communities "kids are dying" and taking action early will save lives.
Council president Dorothy raised strong concerns about placing responsibility on vulnerable sidewalk users rather than drivers, citing personal near-misses while walking and running in Worthington. Spriggs acknowledged the concern: "I completely understand. I think it's really just that these devices go at such a speed sometimes that even if you are practicing all due care as a driver, you may not see a device whipping down the sidewalk as you're trying to turn into or exit your driveway, and so trying to find that balance that is most protective of everyone is where we were trying to strike"
Education Before Enforcement
Several council members worried about juveniles getting cited and sent downtown to juvenile court. Staff said Worthington could seek permission to stand up its own juvenile diversion program in Mayor's Court, similar to programs in Upper Arlington, Hilliard, Dublin, and Canal Winchester. Spriggs said the goal is not punitive: "our goal is not going to be to punish... this does, it gives us the ability to educate". Police staff echoed that, saying they would hand out information and resources rather than citations on first contact.
Stewart said enforcement could be delayed six months or more after the ordinance passes, similar to the rollout the city used for its tobacco legislation, to allow an education-first period.
Next Steps
Staff will return with draft ordinance language at a future council meeting. Spriggs also plans to approach the juvenile court downtown about a local diversion program. Council members said they would send additional community-outreach suggestions.
Planned companion activities include social media outreach, a dedicated safety website, helmet and reflector giveaways, postings at the Community Center and Griswold, booths at community events, and police demonstrations.