By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
Kenton County Mayors met Saturday morning at Edgewood’s Liberty Hall to catch up on what has been happening in each of the cities.
Mayor Kathy Zembrodt in Park Hills brought up the fact that they are still dealing with problems of children and people on electric scooters, and electric or gas powered bicycles.
“Our officers are going by state law,” Zembrodt said. “It’s a matter of safety. These kids are driving like they’re nuts, and they don’t have licenses. I have heard from so many parents who say their children have head injuries from these scooters. I mean they are motorized vehicles, and they’re flying up and down the roads. If anyone has any remedies I would appreciate it.”
Villa Hills Mayor Heather Jansen said they have talked about this in previous meetings, and the scooters are not supposed to be on the road, so that throws them back on the sidewalks where they are a hazard to people walking.
“My understanding is if anything’s going to change, it has to come from the state,” she said. “And I am not sure anybody’s driving that bus. Some parents don’t even realize their kid has a scooter, because they will get one and keep it at a friend’s house.”
Edgewood Mayor John Link said that they have started a program in the schools, and he said it seems to be making a difference in educating the kids.
“I’m not saying we don’t have problems,” Link said. “When you come to the intersections you have to be very careful. It’s a concern.”
Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette said they have put some stickers on sidewalks to let the kids know they have to share the sidewalk. She also mentioned appropriate parenting, and said that it is difficult because parents want their children to be off their devices, and outside getting fresh air, but then there are so many problems with kids wanting to go fast, and becoming a problem for walkers and motorists.
The children tend to have some habits that could make the problems worse.
“Did you ever see a kid on a scooter looking at their cell phone?” Mayor Jansen asked.
Most of them had not.
She also said some of the private schools are coming out with rules that say no scooters or electric bikes after a certain point.
In Fort Mitchell, the city received a grant to widen the sidewalks along Dixie Highway and all the way down to Beechwood school. The initial piece of sidewalk, which is between Burdsall and Pleasant Ridge on Dixie Highway, just opened last week and is touted as a success, because a wider sidewalk with striping to show people where they can walk and where the bikes and scooters can ride is easier to share. Not every city can widen their sidewalks, but for some it could be a solution.
The state has some general rules governing the bikes and scooters, saying that e-bikes with pedals are regulated like traditional bikes, and electric scooters that are under 100 pounds and go less than 20 MPH, are treated in a similar way to bicycles, but they have a minimum age of 16. Incredibly, helmets are not required.
Both types of vehicles have to follow traffic laws, they have to use bike lanes when available, and they have to yield to pedestrians. Some cities, such as Covington and Edgewood might have laws that restrict sidewalk riding. Education in the schools is definitely a good move, since many of the kids who ride the scooters and bikes are not aware of the traffic laws and that is an issue that causes trouble and accidents, especially at intersections.
Electric scooters do have state rules. It is a rule that riders should be 16 years old, but then they can ride in the roadways and bike lanes. It is assumed that if the rider is 16 they might have some knowledge of the traffic rules. The children who ride the scooters on the sidewalk don’t always know about traffic laws and tend to ignore courtesy in many cases.
Other rules specify that these vehicles are allowed to be on the sidewalk in many areas, with the stipulation that they have to yield to pedestrians. Some areas, such as Covington, state that an audible signal should be sounded when passing anyone.
In addition, safety equipment rules dictate that there has to be a front white light and a red rear light or reflector that should be used a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise.
The discussion ended again with no good answers and with summer months almost here, the subject could be broached again.
Since 12 of the 19 cities in Kenton County were represented at the meeting, a resolution that had been handed out at the last meeting was voted on unanimously by the mayors.
This was an order of business that states that the mayors’ meeting is an open meeting, but it also states exactly who can attend this meeting, and designates who the mayors can pick to represent them if they cannot attend but would like something presented at the meeting.
At the beginning of the meeting, the mayor of Rabbit Hash, Mayor Boone, was introduced all around, but he and his owner didn’t stay for the meeting although Mayor Link invited him to stay. With a good natured bark, Mayor Boone left the premises..