MALIBU—The Malibu City Council voted unanimously during its meeting on Monday, August 26, to ban the use of shared electric scooters on Malibu’s streets.

“State law prohibits the operation of an electric scooter on a highway with a speed limit of more than 25 miles per hour unless the scooter is operated within a Class II bike lane. A Class II bike lane provides a solid striped lane specifically for one-way bike travel on a street or highway. Most of Malibu has Class III bike lanes, which provide a shared space for bicycles and vehicles. A Class III bike lane does not provide as much separation between bicycles and vehicles as a Class II bike lane does. As such, electric scooters are illegal along PCH in Malibu,” states the staff report.

Safety on Pacific Coast Highway was the most important concern regarding the decision.

State law also includes the following stipulations:

-riders must have a driver’s license or learners permit

-riders must wear a bicycle helmet

-riders cannot have passengers,

-riders must not ride on any sidewalk except to leave or enter adjacent property, and 

-riders cannot leave the scooter on a path or sidewalk.

Staff recommended a penalty for companies who own the ride-share scooters. If a scooter is found within city limits the company will have four hours to remove the device from the city or be administered a $500 fine. If a company is cited three times for violating the ordinance in any 90-day period, the fine for each subsequent violation will be $1,000.

In 2018, ride-share electric scooter companies began operating in the city of Malibu and neighboring cities. By July 2018, one electric scooter company developed a strong presence on Topanga Canyon Boulevard and PCH. Policies were later developed to regulate the usage of ride-share scooters on city owned streets.

Other cities around Los Angeles have already placed strict regulations or have banned the usage of electric ride-share scooters. Both West Hollywood and Beverly Hills have completely banned the use of ride-share bikes. The city of Santa Monica has enhanced enforcement of their existing laws such as the requirement to wear a helmet.

There will be a city council meeting held on Monday, September 9 for a final reading and adoption of the scooter ban Ordinance No. 448.