Steering Towards Safety: Lake Forest Eyes E-Scooter and E-Bike Ban

In a unanimous decision, the Lake Forest City Council has moved closer to barring the use of e-scooters and e-bikes in the city's central business district, citing safety issues as the primary motivator behind the proposed ban.

The initial ban was proposed in a council meeting following a discussion surrounding the rapidly growing popularity of these electronic vehicles, particularly among teenagers. The final decision regarding the ban is set to be made in the council meeting scheduled for October 2.
This move mirrors the city's existing regulations surrounding traditional bicycles, mandating that e-scooters and e-bikes be walked, not ridden, through specified areas within the central business district. The areas outlined for the ban span from Illinois Road to the south, Wisconsin Avenue to the north, Oakwood Avenue to the west, and Western Avenue to the east, also encompassing a section of Western Avenue extending from Westminster Avenue north to Woodland Road.
Violators of this regulation, once implemented, will be met with fines ranging from $100 to $300. However, Police Chief Karl Walldorf stated that citations will commence in the spring, following an educational campaign aimed at alerting residents about the new law. This delay in enforcement aligns with the expected decrease in ridership during the fall and winter seasons.
Engagement with local school districts, school resource officers, and the Committee Representing Our Young Adults (CROYA) forms part of the initiative to spread awareness about the impending regulation. The primary concern driving this policy, as reiterated by city officials, hinges on ensuring safety, particularly following two reported incidents involving e-scooters and e-bikes over the summer, albeit with no injuries.

Mayor Stanford “Randy” Tack, who sparked the discussion on this matter post-inauguration, expressed his concerns over potential injuries to older citizens. He illustrated the gravity of such situations with a stark statistic: a 70-year-old sustaining a hip fracture from a fall has a 20% mortality rate within a year. With the average age of Lake Forest residents being 62, the proposed ban underscores a pressing need to safeguard the elderly population.
Alderwoman Eileen Looby Weber echoed these sentiments, stressing that pedestrian safety remains the prime focus of the proposed regulation.

The uniqueness of this regulation, as noted by Walldorf, is unprecedented in other Illinois communities, marking Lake Forest as a potential trailblazer in governing e-scooter and e-bike usage. Although a bill proposing a minimum age of 16 for e-scooter riders has passed the Illinois State Senate, it awaits approval from the state House.
Both Walldorf and Mayor Tack foresee a significant change in the downtown activity following the ban, particularly a decrease in the youth population frequenting the central business district, as walking scooters may deter them.

Moreover, Mayor Tack inquired about the possibility of extending a similar ban to the Robert McClory Bicycle Path adjacent to the central business district. However, Walldorf, having not received any complaints concerning the devices on the bike path, did not indicate any immediate plans for such an extension.

This move by Lake Forest sets the stage for a discourse surrounding urban mobility and safety, potentially inspiring other cities to adopt similar measures in the wake of evolving transportation trends.