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Low-speed electric scooters would no longer be defined as a
motor vehicle.
Josh Witkowski from Modern Mobility said a scooter that travels
less than 10 miles per hour should not have the same
classification as a motor vehicle.
“Scooters are not in vehicle code currently, so because they are
not in vehicle code, they are treated as motor vehicles,” said
Witkowski. “Other words, they expect you to have headlights,
tail lights, light turn signals, proof of insurance, all that
fun stuff.”
Senate Bill 1960 also states that low-speed electric scooters
can only be used in municipalities or park districts if
authorized, and that they cannot be operated on highways with a
speed limit over 35 mph.
“It is an opt-in, you don’t have to do this, but if you want to
regulate electric scooters in your community or your park
district then this is the way to do it,” said the bill’s
sponsor, state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria.
E-scooters and e-bikes have gained popularity in the past few
years but with little regulation. A spokesman at the University
of Illinois said it is difficult for police to document and
penalize e-bike misconduct because they have no specific
incident code and state law hasn’t caught up with the
technology.
In 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National
Laboratory joined the Civic Infrastructure Collaborative and
Millennium Parking Garages in Chicago to test the results of
combining off-street parking with e-scooter rentals. The hope is
to reduce traffic congestion downtown.
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