Item B - Motor-Assist. Scooters - Laserfiche WebLink

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ATTACHMENT A August 16, 2004 Dear Eugene City Council and Staff: I have to work on the night of the public forum but I am writing as a regular user of the City's bike paths. I just called them "bike paths," but, of course, we Eugeneans use them also for running, walking, skateboarding, roller-blading and pushing strollers. This multi-use sharing is not always easy but I think, on the whole, we do all right. Throwing motorized devices into the mix has caused contention, however. This is an issue about which good and reasonable people may disagree. And they do. The Council is now in a position to write some kind of ordinance to deal with the matter. Whatever you decide will leave some people unhappy but I think you would agree that you want an ordinance that is clear and that will hold up over time. It's also true that the sooner you act on this the fewer people will be inconvenienced because of the changes. It is my own strong belief that the paths are for non-motorized transportation and recreation. I have heard it proposed that a distinction be made between gas and electric- powered devices. However I think the Council would regret passing such an ordinance and find itself soon having to haul it back in for revision. If they haven't already, manufacturers will soon come out with electric machines just as fast as those with internal combustion engines. If the Council tries to head this off by crafting a complex ordinance permitting certain speeds, horsepower, or wattage, I'm afraid the law will prove largely unenforceable. I don't think we can realistically expect the police to patrol the paths with radar guns or chase people down to try to determine the size of their engines. It won't happen. Some proponents of the motorized scooters have pointed out how much more pleasant it is to use the paths than to fight traffic in the streets. Yes! But that won't be true if the character of the paths is changed. Given our culture's relative wealth, fascination with power toys, attraction to speed, and aversion to physical effort, I can easily foresee the day when our recreational paths become miniature freeways for motor bikes and scooters. I don't believe this is what the City planners envisioned when they designed and built this exemplary system. Already I have seen parents scramble to get their kids off the paths at the sight of approaching motor scooters. Other motorized path users have asked, "Would you rather have me driving a gas-guzzling SUV?" This is clearly a false choice, though, as there are many other alternatives to the SUV, including fuel-efficient cars, street-legal motor bikes, and bicycles.