Marshall seeks scooter solution on Main Street

Council approves limits to scooter, bike use on sidewalks

MARSHALL -- The Marshall City Council took action this week to try and address safety concerns caused by people riding electric scooters and bicycles down Main Street sidewalks.

At Tuesday's council meeting, council members voted to approve changes to city ordinances that would essentially prohibit scooter and bike riding on sidewalks in Marshall's downtown heritage district, which includes the core commercial area along Main Street.

Assistant Planning and Zoning Administrator Ilya Gutman said he reviewed both city ordinances and state laws in drafting proposed ordinance changes. The proposals brought to the council Tuesday really broke down to two main changes, he said. In the first change, hoverboards and electric scooters were classified as motorized vehicles, which are not allowed on sidewalks.

The other main proposed change was that bicycles were classified as non-motorized vehicles. Riding non-motorized vehicles on the sidewalk was not allowed in Marshall's downtown heritage district.

Gutman said the heritage district limitation was made because Marshall's "downtown" zone actually extends farther than just the Main Street commercial area in the heritage district. The broader downtown area would include places where it's anticipated that youth would travel on bicycles, like Marshall's new aquatic center.

In response to a question from council member John Alcorn, Gutman said electric-assisted bicycles with pedals are considered non-motorized vehicles under city ordinances.

Marshall City Administrator Sharon Hanson said that additional steps to discourage scooter and bike riding in the heritage district have been discussed with the council's Legislative and Ordinance Committee and the Marshall Downtown Business Association. Both groups looked at the possibility of painting a "Walk Your Wheels" stencil on the sidewalks in the heritage district.

"I believe the direction and path we're looking at is stenciling in the spring of 2027," she said. "We have seen less traffic since school has started. It's not down to zero, of course."

Hanson said stenciling in spring would also line up with the timing of the annual bike safety event in Marshall.