by Sarah DeMaranville
The Geneseo Current
Geneseo could soon have substantially different rules for electric scooters, e-bikes and other electric transportation devices, including where they can be ridden and how old riders must be.
The City Council is reviewing a proposed amendment to Chapter 36 of the city code covering personal transportation devices. The draft is intended to align Geneseo’s rules with new Illinois standards scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
The proposal is being presented for discussion at the Sept. 22 Committee of the Whole meeting. According to the agenda, the draft will still be refined with the city attorney and no official action or passage is scheduled for Tuesday night.
For electric scooters, some of the proposed changes are significant.
Scooters would move from sidewalks to streets
Under Geneseo’s current ordinance, electric scooters generally cannot be operated on city streets or alleys. Instead, they are permitted on sidewalks and the bike trail route, with exceptions including sidewalks and crosswalks in the business district and other places where bicycles are prohibited.
The current ordinance also limits electric scooters to 12 mph and allows riders as young as 8 years old.
The proposed ordinance takes a different approach.
Electric scooters would be prohibited on public sidewalks throughout Geneseo, with an exception for low-speed battery-powered children's toys.
Instead, scooters and other qualifying electric micromobility devices could be operated on public roadways with posted speed limits of 35 mph or less, as well as designated bike lanes and multi-use paths and trails.
The minimum age would also increase substantially. Under the proposal, a rider would have to be at least 16 years old to operate an electric scooter or other electric micromobility device on public streets, paths or trails.
That means Geneseo's current minimum scooter age of 8 would become 16 if the ordinance is ultimately adopted as drafted.
New rules would distinguish different kinds of e-bikes
The proposed ordinance would also formally divide low-speed electric bicycles into three classes.
Class 1 e-bikes provide electric assistance only while the rider is pedaling and have a top assisted speed of 20 mph. Class 2 e-bikes can use the motor to propel the bicycle without pedaling and also top out at 20 mph. Class 3 e-bikes provide assistance while pedaling at speeds up to 28 mph.
Riders would have to be at least 15 years old to operate Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes on public streets, paths or trails. Class 3 riders would have to be at least 16.
The proposal also covers electric skateboards, electric unicycles and other micromobility devices capable of operating at speeds of up to 28 mph.
On multi-use paths and shared trails, riders would be required to yield to pedestrians and provide an audible signal before passing. Operators would also be subject to applicable traffic laws.
Higher-powered devices would be treated differently
The draft creates another category for higher-powered electric devices.
An electric bicycle or two-wheeled device with a motor exceeding 750 watts or capable of traveling faster than 28 mph under motor power alone would be classified as a motor-driven cycle, or what the city's proposal refers to as an “E-Moto.”
Those devices could only be operated on public streets and roadways. They would be prohibited from sidewalks, bike paths, multi-use trails and designated bike lanes.
Operators would also be required to comply with state licensing, registration, titling and insurance requirements applicable to motor-driven cycles.
Parents could also be held responsible
The proposed ordinance includes additional enforcement provisions.
Geneseo Police would be authorized to impound devices operated in violation of age restrictions, street restrictions or licensing requirements. Violations would also be subject to fines established in the city's fine schedule.
The proposal would additionally make it unlawful for a parent or legal guardian to knowingly allow a minor to operate an e-bike or electric micromobility device in violation of the ordinance.
Still only a proposal
The ordinance before the council last week was not final. The draft ordinance will be refined with the city attorney before returning for potential approval.
If ultimately adopted in its current form, however, the most noticeable change for many Geneseo families would involve electric scooters: the minimum age would increase from 8 to 16, scooters would no longer be allowed on public sidewalks, and they would instead be permitted on streets posted at 35 mph or less, bike lanes, and multi-use paths.
The broader proposal would also give Geneseo its first detailed local framework distinguishing lower-speed e-bikes and micromobility devices from the increasingly common higher-powered electric bikes and motorcycles.