BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — New rules governing non-vehicular transportation are coming to Auburn after the City Council on Jan. 20 approved changes to the city ordinance.
Those changes define and govern “multi-use paths,” which are popular with pedestrians and bikers, and have become controversial as disagreements over their use persist.
Specifically, the updated ordinance seeks to draw a distinction between “multi-use paths” and sidewalks and roadways.
The city’s code currently does not clearly define what these paths are or regulate their use, which has led to confusion over how to use them, challenges enforcing current laws, arguments between users and safety concerns.
The changes are welcome according to Ward 1 Council Member Connie Fitch-Taylor, who said she personally has seen people parking on the sidewalk and in multi-use paths.
“I don’t think there’s an issue with moving vehicles such as scooters and those types of things so far, but there have been a lot of complaints about people actually parking on the sidewalk,” Fitch-Taylor said. “If you’re parking there all day, that doesn’t let people who have some type of disability or are on a scooter, they can’t get around. They have to go on the road or go on somebody’s property to get by.”
As now defined by the city code, “multi-use paths” are lanes located near public rights-of-way that are physically separated from roads and support two-way travel by pedestrians, wheelchairs, electric and non-electric bicycles, skateboards, skates, scooters and other non-motorized travel.
Ward 5 Council Member Sonny Moreman expressed concerns over allowing electric scooters — which typically go up to 25 miles per hour or more in some cases and are popular with Auburn University students — on the paths.
City Manager Megan McGowen Crouch assured Moreman that the city had carefully researched the plan before bringing it before the council.
“This has been vetted for some time between development services along with our legal counsel,” Crouch said.
These paths are being constructed across Auburn to provide alternative connectivity between neighborhoods, commercial developments, parks and schools to encourage safe, low-speed, non-vehicular travel.
To ensure the safety of those paths, the updated ordinance prohibits the use of golf carts, low-speed vehicles, all-terrain vehicles and motor vehicles on sidewalks and multi-use paths to protect pedestrians.
While there is not a comprehensive list of where these changes will be enacted and enforced, particular areas of concern mentioned by city officials include Richland Road, Moore’s Mill Club and Martin Luther King Drive.
To ensure these lanes remain accessible and unobstructed, the city will also prohibit parking in multi-use paths.
Violations of the updated ordinance would be enforced through section 1-9 of the city’s code, which carries fines of up to $500 and/or up to six months in jail depending on the case.
The city also plans to launch a public communications campaign to inform residents how to use these paths, the regulations surrounding the use of golf carts and other low-speed vehicles and how to contact the city if they have any issues or questions.
That campaign will launch sometime before the city begins enforcing the updated ordinance. There is currently no specific date when the city will begin enforcing the ordinance.
In other news, the council addressed several other items of business:
- The council approved a lounge retail liquor license for The Tiny Bar, which is located at 550 Main St.
- The council approved a $199,800 contract with ESRI for the use of its GIS software and maintenance for three years.
- The council approved a $77,091 contract with Coblentz Equipment and Parts to purchase a Ventrac 4520N compact tractor and attachments for the Public Works Department. Ward 7 Council Member Max Coblentz recused himself from voting on the contract.
- The council approved a $214,000 contract with JACOBS to provide general professional engineering and consulting services and serve as the automation services provider for the city’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system.
- The council approved a $218,795 contract with SHI International to renew a one-year subscription to the Rubrik Backup and Recovery software.
- The council accepted public rights-of-way and various public easements from Northgate Development, The Bottle Land Investment and the Sidney S. Silhan Revocable Trust. Those easements are located at the northern end of Bottle Way and west of N. College Street.
- The council appointed Sherrie Stanyard to the Cemetery Advisory Board. Her term begins immediately and ends on Dec. 31, 2029.
- The council approved a performance residential development use for the 306 East Thach Avenue Private Dormitory, which is located at 306 E. Thach Ave.
- The council approved commercial support and road service uses for Auburn Flex Works, which is located at the end of Hilton Garden Drive.
- The council approved an expansion of the Project Apollo data center located at 1571 W. Samford Ave.
- The council approved a commercial support use for the West Samford Substation, which is located at 1501 W. Samford Ave.
- The council approved renaming Lee Road 023 to Neal Road.
- The council approved a $317,348 contract with Energreen America to purchase an Energreen ILF Alpha Eagle Boom Mower for the Public Works Department.
- The council approved a $326,154 contract with SHI International to upgrade the city’s Microsoft license from E3 to E5.
