Electric bikes and scooters are now banned in The Shops of Prairie Village, Corinth Square and Corinth Quarter, according to an Aug. 5 Facebook post by the property owners of the three local shopping centers — First Washington Realty.
“We’re committed to keeping The Shops of Prairie Village safe and strollable for all,” the Facebook post said. “With that in mind, electric scooters and e-bikes are no longer permitted on property.”
This post came a month after the cities of Prairie Village and Mission Hills placed restrictions on the use of e-bikes and e-scooters, including required helmet usage and one-person rider limits.
Since the bans, First Washington Realty has received positive feedback from various business owners, according to junior Marni Thurston, whose father owns the Corinth Square ice cream shop, Summer Salt.
“[Kids] would lean these [e-bikes] on the big glass windows that could break if you put too much pressure on them," Thurston said. “My dad would have to go out there and move the bikes onto the bike rack.”
The city of Prairie Village passed new laws regarding the use of e-bikes and e-scooters in late July, prohibiting anyone under the age of 16 from using class three bikes. The class three bikes are defined as having “pedal assist only” and reaching speeds up to 28 miles per hour.
Although the Prairie Village Police Department is enforcing these laws, many kids, especially middle schoolers, still use e-scooters and class three e-bikes to travel to and from school, according to Indian Hills Middle School principal, Dr. Kelley Capper.
“Some of the phone calls we’ve had to make, the families just aren't aware of the different levels to [the ban],” Capper said. “If we see a bike that's a little questionable, like we had a dirt bike [and] I’m like, ‘Hey bud, we probably can't have you on that class three dirt bike.’”
In 2024, the PVPD received 18 calls concerning e-bike and e-scooter incidents. However, this year, there have been nearly 63 calls, according to School Resource Officer Anthony Woollen.
“We get parents [who] call because of some of the speeds that the e-bikes go,” Woollen said. “They’re concerned that kids are going to get hurt.”
From 2018 to 2022, the sales of e-bikes rose almost 25% in the United States, while the number of e-scooter and e-bike rentals has increased dramatically since 2023, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
The Shops of Prairie Village's new code of conduct, posted on Aug. 5, states that visitors with electric devices will be asked to leave the property.
This policy has received negative feedback from nearby residents, including SM East mom Betsy Sheets.
“My husband Tony likes to ride our e-bike down to [The Shops of Prairie Village] because it’s easier to park than to drive [a car] and get in those narrow parking spots,” Sheets said. “It’s an easier form of transportation, not to mention it’s better for our environment and for promoting people exercising.”
Even with the new bans and restrictions, Sheets still urges drivers to be cautious while driving.
“You need to watch out for every child, whether they’re on an e-bike [or] e-scooter, a regular scooter [or] a regular bike,” Sheets said. “To me, blanketly banning a form of transportation isn't the solution.”
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