Ohio bill could affect how students get to class using e-scooters and e-bikes

Students who own or rent electric scooters and bicycles, or e-scooters and e-bikes, could face registration fees, safety-course requirements, speed limits and age restrictions under new legislation introduced to the Ohio Senate.

The bill, introduced by state Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, would establish statewide regulations for e-bicycles and “low-speed micromobility devices,” including e-scooters. It would require owners to register their devices with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, pay a $25 registration fee per device and provide proof of a driver’s license or completion of a safety course

It also would set different speed limits for public streets, rec paths and sidewalks, bar people younger than 14 from operating an e-bike or e-scooter and exclude anyone under 18 from renting.

“We need to have one set of rules for the entire state instead of every different entity in the state having their own rules,” DeMora said.

DeMora said he introduced the legislation because of the growing presence of e-scooters and bicycles in Columbus and a related increase in concerns for rider and pedestrian safety.

Under the proposed legislation, registration would be required six months after the bill’s effective date and owners would receive a certificate and sticker for their county registration that includes the devices’ serial number, according to the bill.

For students who do not hold valid driver’s licenses, the bill would make the Ohio Department of Public Safety develop a course to cover topics such as traffic laws, operations and regulations.

“I almost got hit by them and my girlfriend has almost got hit by them,” DeMora said. “I have seen people get hit by them in the last couple years.

The legislation would also set speed limits based on where the devices are used: 20 mph on public streets and highways, 10 mph on shared paths and 5 mph on sidewalks, according to the bill.

“Right now, Ohio State students, depending on where they are, whether it’s on campus, whether it’s in the city of Columbus, city of Upper Arlington, city of Grandview or over the township, where Target is, all those places have different rules and regulations about these things,” DeMora said. “A student could be legal in one place, yet illegal in another.”

Local authorities would still have the authority to regulate and prohibit the devices on streets, paths and sidewalks, according to the bill.

Ohio State’s policy requires students to be at least 18 years old, have a valid driver’s license and follow traffic laws. The device is prohibited on sidewalks, including the Oval, according to Ohio State’s Transportation and Traffic Management website.

“Users must follow all applicable state and local laws, ordinances and university policies,” Dan Hedman, an Ohio State spokesperson, said in an email.