Local
Sun Prairie bars high-powered e-motos from bike lanes and shared paths
The Common Council adopted rules distinguishing e-motos from e-bikes and e-scooters, including a ban on sidewalks, bike lanes and shared-use paths. Devices capable of traveling faster than 20 mph under motor power are treated as motor vehicles under the city’s definition.
Sun Prairie’s Common Council adopted an updated ordinance Friday regulating electric-powered devices, with new rules for high-powered e-motos and clearer limits on where different devices may be ridden.
Under the city’s definition, a device that can travel faster than 20 mph using its motor alone is not an e-bike or e-scooter. It falls instead into a motor-vehicle category such as moped or motorcycle. Those vehicles must be registered, licensed and insured to be ridden on roads, the city said.
E-motos are prohibited on sidewalks, bike lanes and shared-use paths. The ordinance also clarifies where other electric devices may operate and reinforces the requirement that riders follow traffic laws.
The city said many e-motos have too much power to qualify as e-bikes, while manufacturers can use a federal loophole to keep them from being classified as motor vehicles. As a result, the devices may not be eligible for registration as street-legal vehicles in Wisconsin.
Sun Prairie also requires bicycle and electric-device riders younger than 18 to wear helmets.