Falls Church Council Split Over E-Scooter Ban On Sidewalks

FALLS CHURCH, VA — Falls Church City Council voted Tuesday to endorse a one-year pilot program regulating e-scooters and other shared motorized devices. A resolution prohibiting riding these devices on sidewalks, except on Broad and Washington Streets, would need final approval on Dec. 9.

The pilot program comes in light of a new state law, which allows the devices without regulation starting Jan. 1, 2020 if localities do not establish a regulation program.

Motorized scooters and bikes are typically rented through smartphone apps. Under city staff's recommendations for the pilot program, companies operating e-scooters would be required to complete a permit application and sign a Memorandum of Understanding outlining the city's guidelines. The program may be limited to three companies per device type (bicycles, scooters) with initial deployment of 25 devices each and a maximum of 50 devices. Staff recommended a maximum speed of 20 mph for motorized bicycles and 15 mph for motorized scooters on the street and 6 mph on the sidewalk.

With councilmembers split on the sidewalk riding ban, the policy could be amended before it receives a final vote. Vice Mayor Marybeth Connelly and Councilmembers Letty Hardi and Ross Litkenhous opposed the sidewalk ban.

Opposing councilmembers highlighted safety concerns of riders. "Requiring people to ride where they don't feel safe like those arterial roads we talked about, Annandale, Hillwood, Great Falls, Lincoln...it would just discourage this mode of transportation," said Hardi.