E-scooters hit the LakeTrail

When Storm Lake citizens proposed the LakeTrail nearly 30 years ago, they envisioned walkers and bikers enjoying safe passage together from Emerald Park on the west shore to Lakeside on the east.

About $850,000 was spent on the paving project that built and widened public sidewalks, enhancing the outdoor experience along the north shore of The City Beautiful. Walkers and riders could wander through five miles of lakeshore parks without having to worry about traffic on busy streets, especially Lakeshore Drive.

Walkers and bikers have happily shared the same paved paths for three decades. Thoughtful bikers alert walkers by ringing bells or calling out a helpful warning like “Passing on your left.”

But the arrival of electric scooters in the last couple of years has changed the dynamics. E-scooters, a burgeoning favorite of middle and high school students who don’t have drivers licenses yet, are scaring walkers as they approach silently without warning from behind at some pretty alarming speeds.

These scooters are relatively inexpensive — they start at around $300 (but can reach $4,0000) — and parents probably like them because they allow their kids to get around town without pestering Mom or Dad for a lift. The less expensive ones have a range of about 25 miles with a top speed of 20 mph.

I hate to sound like the Old Geezer yelling at kids to “Get off my lawn!” but scooting kids need to learn some etiquette — for their safety as well as the pedestrians and cyclists with whom they share the LakeTrail.

The speed limit on Lakeshore Drive is 25 mph. Last week I was driving 24 mph on Lakeshore, while a kid on an e-scooter was easily pulling away from me on the adjacent LakeTrail sidewalk.

Doubly worrisome is that scooter riders aren’t wearing helmets, even though most bike riders do. A spill at 25 or 30 mph could be tragic, especially if it involves a pedestrian. And if that scooting kid gets hit by a car crossing the street, it’s all over.

Storm Lake Police park rangers formerly patrolled the LakeTrail during the summer on Segway scooters, but they were eliminated after a couple years in a budget cutback.

So far we haven’t needed rules on the LakeTrail because everyone has been looking out for each other, but that may change. State Rep. Megan Jones told the Hy-Noon Kiwanis Club last week that the issue will be one of the first topics debated when the Legislature reconvenes next January. And it could get hot next winter, because motorcyclists and bicyclists are two contentious groups that bristle at regulations and aren’t afraid to pressure legislators. Cyclists may see any attempt to regulate e-scooters as a threat to two-wheeled freedom.

Then our city council will get involved, people will call the cops on the scooters and bad blood will boil.

The rise of electric scooters isn’t just a Storm Lake issue. It’s a national concern. Last week an e-scooter ran into a bicyclist on the bike lane of the Queensboro Bridge in New York City, and both riders were killed. The speed of the e-scooter was blamed for the crash that cut the bike in half. It had a top speed of 53 mph. The speed limit for e-scooters in New York City is 15 mph, and operation of any scooter capable of exceeding 20 mph is illegal.

E-scooters haven’t gotten out of hand here yet. But it’s heading that direction. There are two ways to resolve the issues:

1. Mom and Dad can sit down with their children and explain to them the need for caution and courtesy when riding their e-scooters on the LakeTrail or anywhere else: warn walkers of your approach with a bell or verbally, overtake walkers slowly, wear helmets and don’t drive at night without lights and reflectors. If there are problems, the scooter gets locked up.

2. Or wait until January and the Legislature will do its best to take all the fun out of life, with all sorts of rules and regulations restricting e-scooter operation. They will likely be treated more like motorcycles, with training, licensing, insurance, speed limits, lots of fees and fines, and who knows what else.

Something needs to be done for everyone’s safety, walkers as well as scooters. Option #1 seems like the better way, if everyone would cooperate.