The Fishers City Council has approved a sweeping overhaul of the city’s regulations governing bicycles, e-bikes, scooters and other motorized devices, consolidating the rules into a single ordinance aimed at improving safety on roads, sidewalks and trails.
The ordinance creates updated definitions and operating rules for e-bicycles, e-scooters, electric personal assistive mobility devices such as Segways and hoverboards, and electric dirt bikes or motorcycles referred to in the ordinance as “E-Motos.”
Following discussion at first reading, the council adopted significant amendments tightening restrictions on E-Motos. Under the final version, E-Motos are prohibited on the Nickel Plate Trail, Geist Greenway Trail, all multi-use trails, sidewalks and bicycle lanes, and may operate only on roadways. Operators of E-Motos must be at least 15 years old, carry identification, wear helmets, obey all traffic laws and ride near the right-hand edge of the roadway except when passing or preparing for a left turn. Speed is limited to the posted speed limit or 35 mph, whichever is lower.
The ordinance allows e-bikes, including faster Class 3 e-bikes, to continue operating on greenway trails, multi-use trails and sidewalks, while e-scooters are permitted on multi-use trails, sidewalks and bicycle lanes, but not on roadways.
Council members also approved an amendment requiring helmets for all operators age 18 and younger, expanding the original language that required helmets only for operators younger than 16.
The ordinance establishes behavioral and safety standards for all users, including prohibitions against reckless riding, wheelies, burnouts, weaving through traffic and unsafe passing of pedestrians. Operators must yield to pedestrians and maintain at least three feet of clearance when passing on trails or sidewalks.
The measure also outlines responsibilities for motorists when sharing the road with bicycles and motorized devices, including maintaining at least three feet when passing riders and yielding when turning across bicycle lanes.
Violations of the ordinance carry a $150 fine, increasing to $300 if unpaid after 30 days. The ordinance also allows for parental or guardian involvement when minors violate the rules and permits police to impound motorized devices in certain situations.
City officials said enforcement will focus more on unsafe behavior than on the type of device being used, with the goal of keeping trails, sidewalks and roadways safe for all users.