The Tempe City Council will discuss the possibility of a ban on motorized scooters tonight, following a growing trend in the state.
An existing ordinance prohibits the use of motorized scooters on all city sidewalks and in city parks. The new one would ban the scooters from any public property, including streets.
Community relations manager Jeff Kulaga said the council is reviewing the existing ordinance to see if it needs to be updated for growing safety concerns.
"It's more of a review and an exploration of the topic," he said.
The issue review session will be held at 6 p.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall.
Anyone concerned with the issue may address the council at the beginning of the meeting during the call to the audience. Any of the issues of the agenda may be addressed. Each person may speak only once for three minutes.
The council will not vote on an actual ban tonight but will decide whether to send the issue to a committee. City of Tempe spokeswoman Shelley Hearn said the issue would probably go to the Transportation Committee or the Neighborhood, Quality of Life and Public Safety Committee.
The city of Phoenix banned all motorized play vehicles and skateboards in December. According to Phoenix police, the ban was a response to community-wide concerns about safety. It lists inadequate braking, dangerous speed and loose steering as major complications with the vehicles.
Numerous accidents involving riders between the ages of 11 and 16 were also a prime reason for the ban.
Donna Marsh, associate manager of Pep Boys Supercenter on Apache Boulevard, said the store has seen a sharp decline in motorized scooter sales since the Phoenix ban took effect.
"It's dropped off tremendously since December," she said.
The city of Tucson banned motorized scooters and play vehicles in May.
The council will also consider proposed names for the signs indicating points of interest along the portion of light rail that passes through Tempe.
The proposed names are Papago Park Center, Tempe Town Lake/Downtown, Transit Center/ASU Stadium and ASU/Tempe Campus.
Reach the reporter at emilia.arnold@asu.edu.
