(Estherville)– The Estherville City Council Monday evening voted to table a proposed ordinance establishing a 10 mph speed limit on city sidewalks, excluding those in the downtown area where bikes and scooters are prohibited. Councilman Gary Myers expressed concern over enforcement and overreach by city officials…
“I want to say the youth, of course it’s not always the youth, but the youth are the future of this community. I don’t want to drive the families to leave Estherville with the thought that we’re trying to over-regulate.”
He said there could also be safety issues even with the 10 mph limit…
“If we go with the 10 mph speed limit, I don’t want the children to be forced on the streets, I mean that’s a safety thing.”
Councilman Roy Gage again advocated for the 10 mph limit saying he recently experimented on a bike…
“I rode that bicycle at 10 mph on a nice wide street with no cars coming. It was kind of enlightening. It felt plenty fast. I don’t see any reason why on a city sidewalk anybody with anything should be going over 10 mph.”
The council also adopted an ordinance with broader regulations for e-bikes, scooters, and other micromobility devices and where they can and cannot be operated in the city. A couple of council members said they’d like to see age restrictions included, especially for those operating on city streets. City staff will do some research into that.
