The Snohomish County Council has banned motorized scooters from county parks, public bike paths, trails and county roads.
Scooter riders who are caught violating the new rules could face a fine of up to $250.
Although the county passed the new rules on a 4-0 vote, some council members said they were reluctant Wednesday to put more regulations on the books.
“It’s unfortunate. It saddens me that government has to put an ordinance like this in place,” County Councilman Jeff Sax said.
Even so, council members said the rules are necessary until the state adopts restrictions on the use of motorized scooters on public thoroughfares.
“Kids have been killed on these things,” Sax said.
Under the new rules, riders must be 16 or older, wear a helmet, ride without a passenger and not drive at night. Scooters must also have mufflers.
The rules ban motorized scooters from county property, including parks. And riders can’t ride scooters on roads with speed limits higher than 25 mph, which accounts for about 60 percent of the county’s 1,675-mile network of roads.
At least a dozen cities in the county have cracked down on the popular scooters, most recently Marysville. Complaints about noise, speeding and reckless scooter riding have driven cities to take action.
The county’s new scooter rules aren’t as harsh as the regulations adopted by some cities in the county, however. In Everett, Lake Stevens and Lynnwood, for example, police can impound the scooter of someone caught breaking the law. Snohomish County’s regulations do not include provisions for seizing scooters from riders.
County Council Chairman John Koster said there could be problems when police try to enforce the regulations.
“I don’t know what a deputy does if he stops somebody a mile and a half away from home and tells a kid it’s illegal for him to be on that motor scooter,” Koster said.
“What are you are you going to do? Tell him to turn around, or put it in the back of the sheriff’s car and take him home?” Koster asked.
“I just think that there’s some real issues with enforceability on this,” he said.
Council members say they expect the Legislature to adopt standardized rules on motorized scooters during the upcoming session.
Reporter Brian Kelly: 425-339-3422 or kelly@ heraldnet.com.
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