Update on E-bikes/scooters and Daily Commuter Parking

Here's the recording of last Tuesday's (6/24/25) Town Council Meeting. 

 As always, if you know anyone who wants to be emailed these Town updates, please send them this link. 

Ordinances passed at the meeting:

We unanimously passed two ordinances at the meeting. 

1/ Prohibiting E-Bikes and E-Scooters on park paths - We’ve seen a growing issue (especially among kids) haphazardly riding electric bikes and scooters on walking trails in our parks. This has become a safety concern and something I hear about often from residents. We want to be proactive before someone gets hurt. To clarify:

• This ordinance bans e-bikes and scooters on park pathways and walkways, including Mindowaskin, Brightwood, and Tamaques Park.

• It does not ban e-bikes or scooters on streets. Street regulation is a more complex legal issue and was not part of this ordinance.

  
  

2/ Daily commuter parking passes will now be sold online- Historically, daily commuter passes were sold for $5 at the main lot, but the process was outdated. A police officer would be stationed at the train station at 6:30 AM, and residents would line up, often going home and returning later to use the pass. It was inefficient, inconvenient, and an inefficient use of police resources/tax payer dollars.

Here's whats changing: 

• Beginning in the next few months, daily passes will be purchased online starting at 9 PM the night before.

• Passes will be valid in both the main lot AND the newly available Lot 6 (Watterson Lot). This will add more daily parking passes that we can sell. 

• License plates will be used instead of physical stickers.

• This new parking sofware allows us to use data to dynamically adjust daily pass availability, so we can offer more spots when less residents are using their annual passes. 

• And this new process should also encourage residents who rarely use their annual pass to switch to this more flexible daily option, rather than "sitting" on their annual pass afraid to give it up. 

  
  

Pricing:

• The ordinance sets a maximum price of $25. This does not mean daily passes will cost $25. I expect the price will land closer to $10–$15/day.

• Why raise prices? Honestly, our $5/day rate is underpriced. Annual passes cost $696, and $5 dailies sell out each day. The new pricing will better align with annual rates and neighboring towns.

  
  

Like anything, we will see how both of these ordinances work, and adjust from there. I am always open to your feedback and welcome your thoughts on how these ordinances are working and how they can be improved after they are implemented. 

Some other quick updates: 

1/ The installation of the new blue and white street signs is nearly complete, replacing the old green ones throughout town. We expect the full installation to be finished by July, with county and state owned roads to follow by the end of summer. By fall, the entire town will have these newly branded signs bringing a fresh, cohesive look to our neighborhoods.

As finish the installation, we’ll begin auctioning off the retired green street signs to residents. More details on how to participate will be shared in the next month or two.

2/ Sweet Sounds is back on Quimby Street! Starting July 1st, you can enjoy live music every Tuesday AND Thursday (Tuesday is new this year). It’s a great way to bring neighbors together and keep our downtown vibrant and inviting. See the schedule here. 

Finally, a big congratulations to all the families celebrating graduations this week.

Thank you!

Todd Saunders