Photo by David Leong
Micromobility devices, including scooters, e-bikes and golf carts, have become an increasingly common sight on Vestavia Hills streets and sidewalks, prompting the city to shift from education into enforcement. The Vestavia Hills Police Department is establishing a special overtime detail to crack down on violations in city parks and other high-traffic areas.
It’s not hard to notice the rise in popularity of micromobility devices in Vestavia Hills.
Almost everywhere you look, people — and especially children and teens — are zipping around town on scooters, e-scooters, e-bikes, skateboards and golf carts.
But it’s becoming a problem because many times, they’re not following traffic laws and using required or recommended safety gear, police and city officials say. They’re endangering themselves and the safety of others, and authorities warn it’s only a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured or killed.
The problem has gotten the attention of the Vestavia Hills Police Department and Vestavia Hills City Council, who are ready to start stricter enforcement of traffic and safety laws.
It’s a problem across the city but seems to be especially prevalent in Liberty Park, Assistant City Manager Cinnamon McCulley said. “It’s the wild, wild west leaving the school.”
Over the past 12 months, city officials have tried to spread the word through an education campaign about what types of transportation devices are legal on city streets and sidewalks and which ones are not, and they have shared about required and recommended safety gear.
City officials in May relaunched an updated education campaign with new graphics and are shifting more into enforcement mode.
This micromobility guide was put together by the city of Vestavia Hills to help educate the public about city and state laws regarding micromobility devices, including where they are allowed and whether helmets are required or recommended. Additional information is available at vhal.org/micromobility-guidelines.
“It’s not our desire to arrest a 10-year-old on a scooter,” McCulley said. “But we do want them to be safe.”
One of the most prevalent problems is that children are riding e-scooters, e-bikes and motor-driven cycles on public sidewalks, which by law is not allowed. In Alabama, it’s even illegal to ride a bicycle on a sidewalk because sidewalks are designed for pedestrians only.
“In Liberty Park, I’ve been almost run over several times by bicycles — not electric anything, just bicycles,” Councilwoman Kimberly Cook said.
Also, helmets are required for e-scooters, motor-driven cycles and motorcycles for all people — and for bicycles and e-bikes for children under 16. Helmets are recommended, but not required, for motorless scooters.
One complicating matter is that in Liberty Park, the sidewalks are on private property managed by the homeowners association. They’re not public property, which means that police can’t enforce rules about sidewalk usage in Liberty Park, except in limited circumstances that involve very reckless behavior, police Capt. Joseph Dease said.
“It’s important that we obviously make sure that kids are being safe and not being reckless and [hurting] themselves,” Dease said. “But unsafe and dangerous behavior often doesn’t meet the criteria for state law for reckless driving and reckless endangerment. Often, our hands are actually tied.”
Sidewalks throughout most of the rest of the city are public, which gives police more authority, he said.
Photo by David Leong
E-bikes, motor-driven bikes and other micromobility devices sit parked outside Liberty Park Middle School. The Vestavia Hills Police Department will be starting stricter enforcement of city ordinances and state laws regarding micromobility devices in city parks and other hot spots where people routinely use these devices, often in violation of the laws. Helmets are required for e-scooters and motor-driven cycles for all riders and for bicycles and e-bikes for children under 16, requirements that officials say are frequently ignored.
City Manager Jeff Downes said the easiest place for the city to start enforcement is in city parks because none of these micromobility devices — even bicycles — are allowed in city parks by city ordinances. The city just spent millions of dollars to improve Wald Park, and kids have turned a special needs playground into their own BMX track, which is not allowed by city ordinance, Downes said.
The Vestavia Hills Police Department is creating a special overtime detail to enforce restrictions on micromobility devices in city parks and other hot spots around town as needed, Downes said.
“We don’t want to undermine our current police efforts to fight crime, but … having a specialized overtime detail and funding that extra effort in hot spots could be very beneficial,” he said.
Downes said he’s been in city government long enough to know that 50% of the parents are going to like it when police enforce the micromobility laws and 50% are not going to like it because they just bought their child a fancy motorized device. But something has to be done to curb the behavior, he said.
“It’s going to take a consistent effort — educate, educate and enforce to some level,” he said. “Keep stats and documentation and hopefully we see some behavior modification.”
Councilman Michael Vercher recommended the city look into some kind of monetary penalty that could be levied against parents when children break the law. Councilman Rusty Weaver said the rules have to be enforced; otherwise they’re just suggestions. He recommended that repeat offenders in city parks be banned from the parks.
Photo by David Leong
Students leave Liberty Park Middle School.
“You stop little Johnny from being able to go to his 10U baseball practice when his daddy thinks he’s going to be a future Major Leaguer. That will change behavior,” Weaver said. “If you’re going to endanger our citizens in a park that is purposefully pedestrian, then you’re out.”
Councilwoman Kimberly Cook recommended the council consider having police confiscate devices that are being used illegally and have the parent come in and go before a judge to get it back. She also said the city may want to lobby the Legislature for a law to require helmets with all scooters and to explore adding more bicycle lanes on city streets where feasible.
Councilwoman Ali Pilcher said enforcement is going to be necessary because an education campaign does no good if people drive along U.S. 31 and see 12 kids violating the law every day.
The Vestavia Hills police who are school resource officers also will be working with school officials to launch a heavy education campaign in the fall when school starts back, Dease said.
Photo by David Leong
Students leave Liberty Park Middle School.
Weaver suggested schools require children to register their micromobility devices and be required to take an online safety course to get permission to bring the devices to school. If they repeatedly violate city ordinances or state law, the schools could revoke their permission to bring the devices to school, he said.
Schools Superintendent Todd Freeman said school staff definitely would be reviewing the age requirements for certain types of micromobility devices and take steps to achieve compliance with that. The school system also has robust tools for communication with parents, he said.
Downes said Vestavia Hills is not alone in this problem.
“Cities all over the nation are dealing with this same issue,” he said. “We’re hopeful we can make some progress.”
To see more about micromobility devices and state and city laws that apply to them, go to vhal.org/micromobility-guidelines.
