The electric scooter rentals that have been zipping around downtown Kansas City for the past few months are showing up more and more frequently in the Shawnee Mission area.
But just where and how they can be legally ridden in northeast Johnson County is somewhat fuzzy.
Electric scooter companies like Bird and Lime haven’t officially set up operations in Overland Park, Lenexa, Shawnee or Prairie Village, according to city officials — but that hasn’t stopped riders from taking the vehicles into the area. Because the phenomenon is so new, cities here have not directly addressed electric scooters regulations yet, especially concerning public safety and right-of-way. Denise Redina, communications director of Lenexa, said she believes the electric scooters would fall under the city’s traffic ordinance on motorized skateboards, which are prohibited on streets, highways and trails in the city. Motorized skateboards and scooters are also prohibited on sidewalks unless they are designed to be stood upon, among other stipulations.
“Additionally, our community development team said they anticipate this topic being discussed as part of our complete streets study, which has just begun,” Redina said of the city project geared toward accommodating all types of transportation in Lenexa.
(Read more: Shawnee Mission Post – Community news and events for northeast Johnson County)