In a hurry on a scooter? Miami-Dade considers a 15 mph limit and $250 speeding tickets
Miami-Dade County may impose a 15 mph speed limit for scooters and electric bikes, though those rules could initially be limited to one island community.
Legislation that cleared a preliminary vote on Tuesday would impose the speed cap and other rules for scooters and e-bikes, including a ban on riding them on sidewalks and on roads without bike lanes where the speed limit tops 30 mph.
While commissioners unanimously advanced the sweeping rules, the sponsor, Commissioner Raquel Regalado, said the proposed legislation was mostly a placeholder she plans to drastically narrow to apply to a single municipality in her district, Key Biscayne.
As written, though, the new rules would apply on all county roads outside city limits, where Miami-Dade controls zoning and other local decisions. Violations would bring the possibility of a $250 ticket.
While Key Biscayne leaders support the measure, the proposed rules drew criticism from others, with a representative of Transit Alliance Miami calling them a “heavy-handed option.”
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Key Biscayne recently imposed an emergency ban on scooters following a collision involving an electric-bike rider that left a bicyclist dead last month.
“Rather than continue with the moratorium, we’re offering this as a way to solve the problem,” Regalado said.
Regalado said she would introduce a new version of the legislation ahead of a committee hearing on the proposed ordinance on May 13, which would remove the rules for other areas under county control and tailor them as a “pilot project” for Key Biscayne alone.
She said the sweeping language in the legislation that advanced on Tuesday was the first stab at establishing a legal basis for local rules for scooters and e-bikes.
Advocates for alternatives to driving criticized the proposed crackdown for making it harder to use scooters or electric-powered bikes in Miami-Dade. Transit Alliance called for more study before Miami-Dade tries to change its code with speed limits and other restrictions on so-called “micromobility” options.
“We hope Commissioner Regalado would be willing to have that dialogue and take other measures before jumping to the most heavy-handed option,” Transit Alliance spokesperson Mark Merwitzer said in a statement.
While the Regalado legislation is broad, she said the goal was always to accommodate Key Biscayne’s request for authorization to regulate the vehicles on county roads. Her proposed ordinance allows municipalities to establish their own rules for scooters and e-bikes on county roads once they enter into an agreement with Miami-Dade.
Key Biscayne, an island off Miami, is connected to the mainland by the county’s Rickenbacker Causeway and bisected by Crandon Boulevard, also a county road.
The village temporarily banned scooters and electric bikes following the Feb. 14 death of Megan Andrews, 66, who was killed while riding a traditional bike on a neighborhood street. She collided with a 12-year-old boy riding an electric bike, police said.
Key Biscayne used emergency powers on Feb. 16 to impose the temporary scooter and electric-bike ban for 60 days, though the local prohibition doesn’t apply to Crandon Boulevard. It expires next month.
“Residents of Key Biscayne have been requesting we take action,” Key Biscayne Mayor Joe Rasco said after the vote. “We are one step closer to putting in place solutions that will benefit the community at large.”
