Fox Crossing and Neenah have adopted new regulations to prohibit the reckless or unsafe operation of bicycles, electric bikes and electric scooters.
Neighboring Menasha still is reviewing possible changes to its rules.
Leaders of the three communities worked together to develop rules that would be consistent across municipal borders. Users of the Loop the Lake recreational trail pass through Fox Crossing, Neenah and Menasha, so it made sense to have one set of rules rather than three sets of rules.
Fox Crossing adopted its ordinance on May 18. Neenah followed suit on June 3, but not before tweaking the language to address concerns raised by the public.
Key points of Neenah’s revised ordinance include:
The maximum fine for a violation is $50 for a first offense.
Fox Crossing’s ordinance differs in a couple of ways. It prohibits e-bikes and e-scooters on any public sidewalk, regardless of their power source. That’s how Neenah’s ordinance initially was written before it was changed.
Fox Crossing requires a helmet for e-bike and e-scooter operators age 16 and younger, but the village’s ordinance doesn’t apply the requirement to bicyclists age 16 and younger, as both Neenah and Menasha do.
So, in the end, there are at least two sets of rules, with Menasha yet to formalize its e-bike and e-scooter ordinance.
“The point of it was to have the uniform ordinances,” Fox Crossing Village Manager Jeff Sturgell told The Post-Crescent. “We just happened to pass it first, and then the other two kind of paused and made tweaks.”
Sturgell said Fox Crossing stands by its ordinance and will not be making any immediate changes.
“Should Neenah and Menasha decide they want to attempt to make the ordinances uniform again, then Fox Crossing will review the situation at that time,” Sturgell said.
Neenah Common Council member Mark Ellis acknowledged Neenah’s ordinance might not be perfect. However, he said if the city were to delay implementation to wait for the examination of every scenario, it might miss an opportunity to prevent a tragic death.
“What this is is a way to protect people,” Ellis said.
Council member Brian Defferding cast the lone vote against the ordinance. He said Neenah should have waited for Menasha to work through changes.
“I don’t think that we should pass it now and then fix it later,” Defferding said. “I think we should wait until there’s a consensus with our neighboring municipalities at the very least before we actually pass this and put it into law.”
Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X at @DukeBehnke.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Fox Crossing, Neenah adopt new rules for e-bikes and e-scooters
Reporting by Duke Behnke, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Duke Behnke, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
