Denver officials are hammering out tighter rules to reduce the number of injuries and deaths and keep sidewalks clear and accessible amid the rising popularity of scooters and e-bikes in downtown.

They are also considering fines down the road.

Denver has been encouraging alternatives means of transportation, including the use of scooters and e-bikes, as part of its campaign to reduce single-occupant cars and cut down carbon emissions.

A proposed ordinance presented Tuesday during a meeting of the Land Use, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee seeks to mandate sidewalk detection technology for scooter and e-bike companies and require riders to park their scooters in a designated corral to end the trip and transaction.

Riders would also need to pass a city-approved basic test designed to assess user familiarity with laws and regulations regarding riding, helmet use and where riding is prohibited.

Also under the proposal, scooter and e-bike vendors would add sidewalk-detection technology, such as cameras and GPS, to the scooters and e-bikes.

Denver law already prohibits riding scooters or bikes on the sidewalk, except for specific exceptions, such as for police officers.

“What we’re proposing here in this ordinance will mean that scooters in Denver will cost a little bit more because there will be additional technology on each scooter,” said District 10 Councilmember Chris Hinds, one of the bill’s sponsors.

Field testing on the new technology is already underway around Union Station, city officials said.

Mandatory parking zones would not encompass the entire city, but, rather, focus on areas of higher scooter and e-bike use.

Supporters of the proposal said the designated parking zones in high-density areas could help curb “scooter litter” created by riders randomly abandoning scooters and bikes on sidewalks, which they said create safety risks for those with mobility or accessibility issues.

Rental companies could be liable for user violations and subject to fines under the proposed bill, and violators could also see increased trip billing for the time and distance a rider uses the sidewalk.

Scooters may also emit a continuous and audible message to riders, such as “no sidewalk riding,” and generate an end-of-trip performance report informing the rider of any possible sidewalk riding violations.

“We’ve done our best to make it clear that Council believes there should be accountability — including fines — for those who don’t follow the law,” Hinds told The Denver Gazette.

As envisioned, the specifics on fines and other details would be under the purview of the city’s transportation agency.

“There will not be a process from within this bill that will stop folks from riding on sidewalks at this point, “District 9 Councilmember Darrell Watson said. “This allows for the identification of where folks are riding and an opportunity, and what possible enforcement can occur.”

Under Denver’s scooter and bike share program, the city has partnered with Lime and Lyft. The partnership between Denver and the ride-share companies is scheduled to end in 2026.

“I don’t think we have a scooter problem, I think we have a scooter company problem,” District 6 Councilmember Paul Kashmann said. “I don’t think the scooter companies have any interest in really solving these problems. They’ll do the minimum they legally have to do.”

Kashmann, who supports the proposed measure, said he’s not sure if there is a solution to the problem, but he is worried that, as the city becomes more crowded, the scooter and e-bike woes will get worse.

Lime, one of the city’s most prominent scooter vendors, is on board with the proposed changes.

“At this stage, we feel very comfortable with where the ordinance landed,” wrote Lime Senior Director of Government Relations Zach Williams in a letter to bill sponsors. “I think you all have struck the appropriate balance between statute and rulemaking. You have given DOTI and the vendors very clear directives while also allowing for different approaches to safety and parking challenges in different neighborhoods across Denver.”

City data shows that electric scooters have been used for more than 23 million trips since their introduction to Denver in 2018.

In the last year alone, riders made more than 6.6 million trips, roughly 25% of which occurred in the city center.

Supporters also said scooters and e-bikes solve the challenge of getting people out of vehicles and into public transit.

Scooter-related accidents have been on the rise, with some turning deadly.

In 2024, Denver Health reported 1,962 scooter-related accidents. The average patient age is 34 years, and the average cost of those accidents per patient was more than $19,000.

That rise in accidents is happening nationally. One study said that from 2017 to 2022, some 45,500 e-bike and 190,000 e-scooter riders had ended up in the emergency room.

The bill now moves to the full city council body with first and second readings expected this month.

If it passes, it will become effective July 1, 2026.