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City takes step toward scooter ban

Friday, December 20, 2019

The San Marcos City Council took a step toward adopting a motorized scooter ban during Tuesday’s meeting. 

The council voted to approve Ordinance 2019-46, on the first of two readings, which adds an additional article to the San Marcos City Code, prohibiting “motor-assisted scooters on public property, streets and sidewalks; providing a savings clause; providing for the repeal of any conflicting provisions.”

Lee Hitchcock, director of General Services for the city, said the ordinance’s purpose is to save lives and prevent injuries. 

“It is staff’s assessment — by looking at Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and other cities that have tried regulation with varying success, and then cities like Fredericksburg and New Braunfels and Drippings Springs that have chosen to prohibit — that based on infrastructure limitations and traffic conditions now and sidewalk expansion and so forth that this (ordinance) is something you may want to consider,” Hitchcock told the council before its vote. 

The ban would make it a Class C misdemeanor to use a motorized scooter. The ordinance, however, would not apply to mopeds, motorcycles, motor-assisted bicycle or motorized mobility devices designed for transportation of persons with physical disabilities.

Councilmember Maxfield Baker came out against the ban saying that it could limit other modes of transportation in the city. 

“This is for instance, this wouldn’t impact what has become a growing trend of motorized skateboards,” Baker said. “Those are four wheels. They have a little button to push to go forward. They have one you use to slow down. So, I think if we’re considering all those safety hazards then we would include those modes of transportation as well. I just find that that continues to move towards offering fewer alternative modes of transportation … I clearly am not going to be supporting this and, I just, I’m afraid of the reverberating message that we’re sending out by reducing the amount of alternative modes of transportation.” 

The council voted 5-1 to approve the ordinance on first reading, however, it asked staff to come up with a plan to delay the date it goes into effect and how to notify the public before issuing citations. 

The ordinance would be punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 but council asked for staff to lower the penalty. “I would like to go ahead and set it to a much lower amount,” Mayor Jane Hughson said. “Because most of the folk who violate this, it’s going to be out of ignorance. They’re not going to know and I just don’t want to ding them a whole bunch of money.” 

The ordinance will be back for second reading during the council’s first meeting of 2020 on Jan. 7. 

San Marcos Record

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