Boulder might see a temporary moratorium on commercial electric scooter companies, as well as ongoing restrictions on where e-scooters are allowed in the city.

City council on Tuesday will hold a public hearing on an emergency ordinance that would prohibit the issuance of business licenses to commercial operators, as well as the use of e-scooters on sidewalks, bike paths and open space until February.

The temporary moratorium, staff reasoned, would buy the city time to iron out possible regulations for commercial e-scooters in Boulder. Although it’s currently illegal to operate e-scooters in the city, except for on private property, the state recently advanced legislation to allow e-scooters on streets. Staff is expecting Gov. Jared Polis to sign the bill, which would then take effect next month. Between the law and the proposed moratorium, private e-scooters would be allowed on public streets in Boulder, but not on paths or sidewalks, and commercial operators would be stymied.

“The emergency moratorium is a request from staff to ensure that we, as a community, have ample time to vet the opportunities and challenges associated with commercial e-scooter operations,” David Kemp, senior transportation planner, said in an email. “In the past, some e-scooter companies have deployed e-scooters without coordinating with local municipalities beforehand.”

Although the use of e-scooters has exploded around the country, city staff cited concerns about injuries and pollution, among other issues. Injuries, especially head injuries, are prevalent, according to the staff memo.

They also pointed to the e-scooters’ life span on the street — a mere 30 days — as cause for concern about their effects on the environment. Staff also raised red flags about where the scooters would be parked and stored and what data the commercial operators would make available to the city.

They proposed a nine-month process to collect feedback from the community about what they’d like to see if commercial e-scooter companies are allowed here. The process would include outreach, public demonstration events, a poll and focus groups.

The moratorium as proposed would last until a new council is seated and has completed a retreat to determine its annual work plan.

In a letter to council, University of Colorado Boulder officials said bike and scooter sharing companies have approached the university about gaining a presence on campus, and they are eager to participate in the city’s engagement process to help with infrastructure, policy and roll-out.

“CU Boulder wants to offer multiple options for travel to and through our campuses, including dockless bike and scooter sharing and are pleased that the city is looking at these options as well,” wrote David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability. “… We look forward to collaborating with the city to develop the process and guidelines for the dockless scooter-sharing program.”

Council last summer enacted a pilot program aimed at dockless bike-sharing companies. The two-year program limits operators to fleets of 100 bikes, with an option for 50 additional e-bikes or adaptive cycles.

Staff is in ongoing discussions with Uber, Lyft Bikes and Gotcha, three companies that have expressed an interest in starting e-bike share operations in Boulder this year, according to the staff memo. Kemp said e-scooters could potentially complement that.

“The city has a Dockless Bike Share Licensing Program currently in place to regulate commercial operations in Boulder,” Kemp said. “E-bike share alone will be a game changer for Boulder in terms of providing additional micro-mobility transportation options; however, the introduction of e-scooter operations could work concurrently with bike share, if so desired.”

The matter is set for a public hearing Tuesday night, during which time the public can comment.

If you go

What: Boulder City Council

When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Boulder Municipal Building, 1777 Broadway

More info: View the agenda and materials at bouldercolorado.gov/city-council