Local Bike, E-Bike, and Scooter Regulations, Columbus, Ohio, 2018

In response to the arrival of Bird and other e-scooters, Columbus passed an ordinance to include “mobility devices” and “e-scooters,” and to both amend related codes (including bicycle, etc.) and to add specific code.

Per the council’s notes: The legislation governing the operation of e-scooters and dockless rental bikes that will be presented to Council for its consideration will address issues including:

• Where mobility devices can be operated, such as keeping them on the roadway and not on the sidewalks.
• What safety precautions riders must take, such as yielding to pedestrians, navigating traffic and bike lanes and following current traffic regulations.
• How the city defines mobility devices now and in the future.

The definitions include:

• E-scooter: means a two-wheeled device that has handlebars, a floor board, designed to be stood upon when operating and is powered by electricity. The electricity is stored on board in a rechargeable battery.
• Mobility Device: means a small motorized or electronic device, such as an e-scooter, e-bike or other similar device as determined by the Director of Public Service. A mobility device does not include those designed solely for use by a child, or those used as assistive mobility devices by persons with disabilities.

Operations regulations include:

• No person operating a mobility device should do so on any streets if the posted speed limit is over 35 mph unless in a dedicated bike lane or shared use path.
• No person operating a mobility device shall exceed a speed at greater than 20 miles per hour.
• The ordinance (2105.125) also empowers the Director of Public Service to regulate mobility device parking on sidewalks

Updated September 2018