The Ordinance & License Committee of Waukesha, Wisconsin met on Monday, June 8, 2026 at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Three members were present (Doreen Wigderson, Daniel Manion, Erik Helgestad) constituting a quorum; two members were absent (Jim Evert, Paul Wuteska). The meeting covered public comment, license approvals, and a discussion on proposed regulations for powered scooters, bikes, and other vehicles on city sidewalks.
Good evening, everyone. It's six o'clock, and I'll call the um June 8th, 2026 meeting of the ordinance and license committee to order. Um we are missing two members. Alderman Wateska was unable to uh attend. Um I'm chairing the meeting in his absence. And also Alder Evert was unable to be here this evening. All other members of the committee are present. Um three members does constitute a quorum, so we are continuing with the meeting. Um moving on to item two is public comment. Um we did have one person sign up for public comment, and uh certainly if there's any other members in the audience um who are interested in speaking about an item. If you're here for a specific license, you'll be called up at that time. Um we'll follow the same rules we do with city council for public comment. Please come forward, state your name and address. You'll have three minutes to uh speak. And uh our sign-up uh member is Stephanie Fiddlin. Stephanie, the floor is yours. Okay, can you hear me okay? Yes. Well, good evening. Uh, my name is Stephanie Fiddlin. I'm a resident here in the city of Waukesha. I'd like to thank this committee for taking on the important task of addressing the safe usage of motorized e-bikes and e-scooters in our community. As a community member, I've seen a dramatic increase in the presence of children on e-bikes and e-scooters. Often I see them as I'm walking on sidewalks and walking paths, or I have to step off the sidewalk or path to allow the bike to pass. I've seen a man in a motorized wheelchair with his service dog have to exit the sidewalk to allow a child on an e-bike to pass, narrowly avoiding a collision as the dog scrambled to react to the situation. The child tried to avoid hitting the wheelchair, and the owner tried to avoid running over his own dog's paws. The reality is that the motor on an e-bike can provide up to 20 miles per hour of assist without any effort of the rider, making them two to nearly three times faster than a regular bicycle. Speed is distance over time. As fat at faster speeds, you have less time to make a decision as an operator of a motorized vehicle. Often the riders are young and have not been educated on the rules of the road and don't have a driver's license. This lack of experience makes it even more challenging for them to make a safe decision with a short amount of reaction time. I've witnessed this as well as a drive as well as a driver with e-bikes riding in the center of the road, crossing the middle line, even doing wheelies. Often they don't anticipate right lane drivers turning right at intersections, and they continue going straight on the right side of the turning vehicle, sometimes creeping up on the blind spot before the driver's even aware they're there. In my role as an emergency department nurse, um, I can speak firsthand on the increased number of incidents with injury involving e-bikes and e-scooters. The nature of these injuries is often more severe than a regular bike because of the increased speed at which the injury occurred. My greatest fear is we head into summer is the call for a child with life-threatening injuries as a result of the use of e-bikes and e-scooters. It's for this reason that I urge you to pass the proposed ordinance for prohibition of certain powered vehicles on sidewalks. While some may question this ordinance and say, my child isn't old enough or mature enough to ride in the street. Might I suggest that your child isn't old enough or mature enough to be operating this motorized vehicle? Because while I'm concerned about the call for an injured child, I also worry about the call for an injured elderly person who wasn't able to maneuver the quick exit off the sidewalk and suffers a fall with a head injury or broken bone. Sidewalks are for pedestrians, roadways are for motorized vehicles, and motorized vehicles capable of 28 miles per hour are not for inexperienced operators. Thank you. Thank you. Um is there any other person here who wanted to speak during the public comment section? All right. Seeing no one jump up. Um we'll move on to item three, which is approval of minutes. We have minutes from our last meeting on May 11th. Were there any um changes or corrections necessary? Seeing some shaking heads.