COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Columbus City Council met Tuesday evening and approved an amendment to chapter 10 of the city code, banning commercial scooters in the city. However, businesses, whose product is to give tours, were given permission to use multi-passenger, pedal-powered vehicles to operate within Columbus.
Last year, the owner of a Pedal Pub franchise, a company with the tour-vehicle model described above, approached the city about the possibility of establishing an operation. Various departments, including engineering, the police department, code enforcement, and the ordinance committee conferred in the drafting of the ordinance amending the city code.
Those involved felt that the appropriate way forward included addressing the possible introduction of commercial scooters as well, which the city has decided to prohibit for now, given the experience of other cities.
Pedal Pub-type businesses will be required to register in a process similar to taxicab owners.
In other business, the council approved the adoption of Envision Columbus as the replacement for Vision 20/20 as the downtown strategic plan component of the city’s overall comprehensive plan,.
