Battle Creek, MI Mobility & Curb Rules: Bike Lane Rules (2026)

Chapter 819 of the Battle Creek Codified Ordinances, adopted by the City Commission as Ord. 05-2021 on 5-4-21, covers both shared and privately owned electric scooters and electric skateboards. Section 819.10(h) says scooters are to be ridden on streets and, where available, in bike lanes and bike paths, including the linear path. They stay to the right of street lanes and must offer the right-of-way to bicycles in bike lanes and on bike paths. The chapter's stated purpose in Section 819.01(a) is to keep these devices consistent with the safety and well-being of bicyclists, pedestrians and other riders of the public rights-of-way.

Speed is capped by Section 819.10(j): no more than twenty miles per hour on the street and fifteen miles per hour on the linear path. Section 819.10(i) bars sidewalk riding except in the Central Business District, with a ten mile per hour cap there. After dark, between 1/2 hour after sunset and 1/2 hour before sunrise, a scooter needs a front lamp visible from at least 500 feet and a rear red reflector visible from 100 feet to 600 feet. Riders under nineteen must wear a crash helmet, and nobody under twelve may ride.

Obstruction is handled through the parking rules in Section 819.10(g). Riders may not park a scooter so that it impedes or interferes with the reasonable use of any bicycle rack, and the preferred parking spot is upright beside a bicycle rack or in another area designated for bicycle parking. In every case a parked scooter must not impede pedestrian or vehicular traffic. The Battle Creek Police Department inspects scooter fleets before a license issues, and the City Clerk runs the operating license.