The Denver City Council on Monday unanimously approved revisions to the city’s regulations for dockless scooters, which many had dismissed as archaic and confusing.

Previously, the zippy two-wheel vehicles were supposed to stay on sidewalks in Denver, even though they can hit 15 mph. The new law says that commuter scooters should travel in bike lanes and on low-speed roads when available.

“It’s trying to recognize the scooter for what it is: a motorized vehicle,” said Councilwoman Mary Beth Susman, who proposed the bill along with Councilman Paul Kashmann.

“What this whole process has kind of shone a light on is how much work we have to do to provide safe passage for bicycles and scooters and anything other than private autos around the city,” Kashmann said at a meeting last month. “So, hopefully this disruptive technology will have a silver lining along the way.”

The new rules Starting in a few weeks, scooters must: Use bike lanes whenever possible.

Stay at or below 15 mph in bike lanes.

Ride in the road when bike lanes aren’t available — unless the speed limit exceeds 30 mph.

Stay to the right on roadways, unless it’s unsafe.

Only use the sidewalk when other options aren’t available.

Stay below 6 mph on sidewalks.

Yield to pedestrians and obey traffic signals.

This doesn’t apply to toy scooters. It’s only for single-rider, stand-up electric vehicles with top speeds up to 20 mph. Representatives for the companies Lyft, Lime and Bird praised the change.

What’s next?

This is the second recent city law about scooters. The city first legalized the general “dockless” concept after Bird and Lime deployed the scooters without authorization in Denver. Under the “pilot” program, five companies can deploy up to 350 scooters each. Riders unlock the vehicles with an app, then leave them on sidewalks and other public areas.

Now, the city will keep looking at tweaks. Susman said the city needs a “mobility department,” an idea that Mayor Michael Hancock’s administration has discussed.

Councilwoman at-large Robin Kniech asked how the scooter companies would improve the “culture of use” for the scooters, saying she’d heard concerns that misplaced scooters were blocking the paths of people with disabilities. “You have to be doing more on the rider education front,” she said.

Councilman Rafael Espinoza has suggested creating new parking areas for scooters, especially in unused spaces near intersections. Councilman Albus Brooks has questioned whether scooter riders will be able to obey the new speed limits; the vehicles don’t usually come with a speedometer. And Councilman Chris Herndon said the city needs to prepare for the scooters to spread beyond downtown.

“I do believe this is something that will eventually leave the (urban) core,” he said at an earlier meeting.

State lawmakers also are planning to tackle scooter regulations this year, according to city staff.

Meanwhile, Mayor Hancock has promised 125 miles of new bike lanes over five years, which could attract more scooter riders. Brooks said the city has “got to get serious” about that goal. He’s already warning residents that bike lanes could replace on-street parking.