Denver City Council to vote on new rules for electric scooters, bicycles to improve public safety

Electric scooters and bicycles have been a popular choice for locals and people visiting Denver who are looking for a convenient way to get around. In 2024, the "Mile High City" had the most popular e-scooter program in the country with more than six million rides. 

With so many riders, there have also been stories of trauma, some lifechanging, due to the number of crashes involving e-scooters. So city officials will soon make a decision on the implementation of new safety measures to protect everyone.  

Denver city leaders say e-scooters are crowding sidewalks and sending people to the emergency room. So a proposed ordinance could bring big changes to how and where e-scooters are used in Denver.

Come 2026, e-scooters parked in the middle of the sidewalk could cost vendors and riders if they end up somewhere on the sidewalks. If new legislation passes, it aims to clean the clutter and the crashes.

"Every time I see someone on a scooter, I'm like 'ay be careful,' said Moises Banuelos, who is recovering from an e-scooter crash. 

It's been a tough year for Banuelos, but he's just happy to be alive. 

"I just remembered waking up in the hospital with a tube in my throat," Banuelos said.

Banuelos was hit by a car while riding an e-scooter after an event in April 2025. He says the crash nearly cost him his life.

"That changed my life forever," Banuelos explained. "I still literally cannot feel my jaw.". 

Banuelos also had to learn how to walk again. Medicaid covered close to $300,000 in medical bills, but the driver who hit him was never held accountable

"There's so many things that can happen in a blink of an eye," Banuelos said. 

Data from Denver Health shows Banuelos is not alone. In 2024, nearly 2,000 e-scooter crashes sent people to the emergency room. 

Council member Chris Hinds, representing District 10 in Denver, says he stands by a proposed city ordinance that could reduce those ER visits. 

"It keeps happening time and time again, and Denver Health is taking note," Hinds said.

That's why new rules for safety are being reviewed. It would require vendors to install technology to detect sidewalk riding — like GPS-based systems that trigger beeping alerts or even fines. Riders would also need to park in specific corrals to keep sidewalks clear. The ordinance also calls for safe riding education. 

"The idea is to make sure that we know if people are riding scooters on the sidewalk, and then we're requiring the vendors to do something about that too," Hinds said. 

In Denver, Bird and Lime are the two companies permitted to operate shared electric scooters and bikes through contracts with the city. These contracts are currently set to expire in mid-2026.

Implementation of the new city ordinance, if passed, would go into effect in summer 2026, lining up with new contracts between the city and companies that operate the bikes and scooters.

"Every scooter in Denver has to be replaced with a scooter with this additional technology, and we believe it's the right thing to do for us to have that requirement," Hinds said. "We also want to make sure that the vendors have time to implement that requirement."

Denver City Council is expected to vote on the proposed ordinance in the coming weeks.

Moises Banuelos plans to press charges once the driver who hit him in their vehicle is found. A warrant is out for their arrest. In the meantime, he hopes the city council vote will be unanimous and function to prevent others from experiencing what he did. 

"I would never get on a scooter again, but be careful," Banuelos said.