CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story included e-bikes in the ban. The current version has been updated.
Bellevue's city council voted Tuesday night to ban off-road recreational vehicles, including dirt bikes electric scooters and more from public property within the city.
The vote follows growing concern from neighbors and city officials across the metro area. Officials from Council Bluffs, Bellevue, and Omaha police have called out the issue and directed residents to current laws.
Last week, I met a family from Iowa at a Bellevue park who will no longer be able to ride there under the new ban. Sara Fahn was there with her son and daughter, who said her favorite part of riding was how fast the scooters go.
"They wore their helmets though," Fahn said.
But not everyone does.
Dr. Julie Valenzuela, a trauma surgeon at University of Miami/Jackson Ryder Trauma Center, said helmet use is virtually nonexistent among the patients she treats for micromobility injuries.
"I actually now make it a point of asking our EMS and police officers when they come in and bring me a patient were they wearing a helmet? The answer – always no… There are certain pages I get and I know I have to go running those are my gunshot wounds stabs and now scooters," Valenzuela said.
A recent U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report estimated about 450,000 emergency room visits from micromobility product injuries from 2017 through 2023.
Brian Orther, a spokesman for AAA's The Auto Club Group, said the physical risks posed by e-bikes and scooters are significant.
"Probably two of the biggest physical factors that these e-bikes and new scooters can present are weight and speed," Orther said.
Orther walked me through AAA's new E-Ride Ready guide, which is designed to help families and consumers make safer purchasing decisions.
"We're seeing the increase in usage," Orther said.
He said shoppers should research carefully before buying.
"Sometimes when you look online for these items they can be misleading where something that's labeled as an e-bike is actually an e-moto which is putting you at speeds over 35 miles per hour," Orther said.
Orther also addressed whether a statewide law could bring more consistency for families in Nebraska and Iowa.
"You know its so hard to tell right now… should there be guidelines? That's a great question that all of us should ask, I think there should be if you're sharing the roadways," Orther said.
However, Orther also mentioned that today many use micromobility vehicles as a mode of transportation.
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