SAN MARCOS, Texas — Electric scooters might soon be permanently banned from the City of San Marcos.
It was all supposed to come down to a vote Tuesday night, but San Marcos City Council members chose to wait to make a decision until after Texas State students return to classes so they can get feedback from them.
At their last meeting before Tuesday's, the city council looked at the first reading for an ordinance that would officially ban scooters from operating within the city limits.
"This item before you this evening is, at your direction, from your work session dated this April 2, and its purpose is very simple: to save lives and prevent injuries," Lee Hitchcock, the City's director of general services, said at the Dec. 17 meeting.
If the ordinance goes into effect, the City could impound any scooter inside the city limits and also give riders a fine of up to $500. Other electric modes of transportation wouldn't be affected.
"There are some types of motorized vehicles this would not apply to. This really is intended to address scooters," Assistant City Attorney Sam Aguirre said.
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That means the VeoRide dockless bikes the City has partnered with would still be allowed to operate.
"Yeah, see, that's enough. We got enough of that," Kenna Sayles said.
Sayles is hoping the City votes to ban scooters.
Debra McGee agrees.
"It seems like it would be dangerous for the drivers and the people riding the scooters," McGee said.
McGee and Sayles said that San Marcos is already busy and dangerous enough.
"I don't like it," McGee said. "I just think they're dangerous."
"I think they're obnoxious, and I think that in a small town like this it would make things a lot harder for locals that live here," Sayles said. "I think there would be a lot more accidents."
Currently, no commercial scooter company operates in San Marcos, so this would be a preventative move the City believes would keep people safer.
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