FRONTENAC, Kan. — A short and sweet council meeting in Frontenac Wednesday. With only one issue on the agenda, the meeting was over in less than 15 minutes.

The one issue up for discussion was electric scooter safety.

At the May 15th City Council meeting, council member Joe Martin asked for an update on ordinances concerning motorized scooters that are popular among school children, saying that these can go faster than bicycles and kids are often running through stop signs on their way to school.

With summer well underway, council members are concerned about the safety of the city’s younger citizens riding around on electric scooters and electric bikes. Council members reported seeing kids riding down the center line of streets, running stop signs, crossing traffic, and other activities that may end badly.

City Attorney Matthew Bonner said he and Police Chief Cody Milligan have been researching the issue and brainstorming ideas. Bonner looked at similar ordinances in other cities and drafted a proposal that satisfied City Manager John Zafuta and Milligan and submitted it to the council for review.

Council members had no issue with the proposed ordinance, which includes the use of helmets for minors under 18. Milligan pointed out that everyone has to obey Kansas traffic laws, regardless of their means of transportation. However, council member Tom Sighel recommended a change regarding operation in the dark. Instead of just reflectors, he suggested actual lights as the scooters are extremely hard to see. Council member LaDonna Pyle suggested a curfew after dark, saying the kids should be at home anyway.

Bonner said he would have an ordinance ready for approval by the next meeting on June 10 and kept his word, delivering a new draft at Wednesday night’s meeting.

In short, the new ordinance is based on common sense and mirrors what is already state statute. Anything that requires a license plate to operate will follow all state laws, such as wearing helmets if the operator is under 18 years old, have proper lighting and signals, etc.

For the scooters, the city opted to forbid them on the streets after dark because they are so hard to see, especially at night. They can still be ridden in a driveway or a parking lot, they are just not allowed in the streets from sundown to sunup.

While the city and law enforcement strongly encourage scooter riders to wear a helmet if under 18-years-old, it is not mandated in the ordinance.

This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews