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UPDATE: Bill aiming to legalize scooters heads to House

Posted at 5:14 PM, May 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-20 18:15:23-04

A bill that could return electric scooters to Lafayette is advancing in the legislature.

As we reported previously, the electric scooter companies Bird and Lime placed their electric scooters in Lafayette before there were any ordinances or laws to govern their use on the city’s streets. After a request from the city-parish government, the companies removed the scooters in January. To read our stories about that, click here.

A bill introduced by Sen. Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, would solve that issue. It has passed the Senate, and today was passed in a House committee and sent to the House floor for what could be a final vote.

The bill, which you can read for yourself below, would allow the scooters to be operated on roads which have a speed limit of 25 miles per hour or less. It also would require all operators aged 17 years or less to wear a helmet while operating the scooters.

Here’s the bill as it was introduced: