COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Scooters and e-bikes \u2014 also called micromobility devices \u2014 are a common sight on Texas A&M\u2019s campus. But regents say those days could be numbered if safety doesn\u2019t improve.<\/p>\n
Texas A&M regents are sounding the alarm about these devices on campus, warning the university could ban them entirely if crashes don\u2019t come down. Crashes involving micromobility devices on campus are up 37% from 2024 to 2025.<\/p>\n
Regent John Bellinger didn\u2019t mince words at last week\u2019s Board of Regents meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bottom line of this is if we don\u2019t get it fixed soon, because this is a very old subject, we\u2019re going to ban them and you\u2019re not going to have them at all,\u201d Bellinger said. \u201cSo we got to get it fixed or it\u2019s out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The numbers behind the warning<\/p>\n
Texas A&M Chief Operating Officer Peter Lange told regents crashes involving scooters and e-bikes on campus jumped 37% last year, with 52 incidents recorded \u2014 about half resulting in injury.<\/p>\n
But Lange said the problem isn\u2019t unique to Texas A&M.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing this issue across the country,\u201d Lange said.<\/p>\n
According to Lange, 38% of registered micromobility devices on campus are now electric, and that number is expected to keep climbing over the next few years.<\/p>\n
The university has already completed five projects aimed at separating scooters from pedestrians on campus. But Regent Sam Torn wants to see more done, pressing Lange during the meeting on whether Texas A&M could require riders to wear helmets \u2014 something the state of Texas doesn\u2019t currently mandate.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes that mean we can\u2019t require them on campus?\u201d Torn asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d have to research that if we could require them,\u201d Lange responded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d Torn asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d have to see if it\u2019s legal,\u201d Lange said.<\/p>\n
Lange said he would look into whether a helmet requirement is possible. For now, regents say the message to the university is clear: either crashes go down, or scooters could disappear from campus altogether.<\/p>\n
A system-wide concern<\/p>\n
The safety issue isn\u2019t limited to College Station. Regent Sam Torn, who chairs the Board\u2019s Committee on Academic and Student Affairs, said the problem extends across the Texas A&M System.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has got to get fixed,\u201d Torn said. \u201cI\u2019ve heard it is a big problem at Prairie View… So across the system, we\u2019ve got to go look. If we can do it to make it safer, not just for those riding it, but for those that are in the path, we need to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regents say they want to see progress soon \u2014 or these devices could be banned from campus altogether.<\/p>\n
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