Some people prefer the road less traveled.
Following more than a year of deliberation, Holmes Beach has settled on regulations for alternative transportation modes.
“The vehicles that we have chosen to take action on are treated like toys by visitors,” Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer said Dec. 17. “People must understand that our island is not an amusement park.”
In November, autocycles, three-wheeled motor vehicles with a steering wheel and side-by-side seats that are certified as motorcycles, were prohibited for rental, with an exception grandfathered for a company already offering the vehicles for rent.
In May, Holmes Beach commissioners unanimously approved the final reading of an ordinance regulating bike- and scooter-shares, as well as the rental and operation of motorized scooters, Segways and scooter cars branded as ScootCoupes.
A ScootCoupe is an open-air, three-wheeled vehicle powered by a 49cc engine, and while they are not available for rent in Holmes Beach, they are offered for rent in Anna Maria.
The ordinance also bans megacycles from rental or operation in the city.
A “megacycle” is a four-wheeled, pedal-powered vehicle that can hold 5-15 people and typically does not exceed 15 mph.
Additionally, the ordinance includes regulatory powers for the city regarding the rental of 49cc scooters, mopeds and Segways.
Segways and electric bicycles are not offered for rent in the city — except Segway tours — but people are permitted to operate their own vehicles.
Larger scooters, such as the 49cc Vespa, are allowed on city streets but are not allowed on bike lanes and sidewalks, according to state law.
“All of those vehicles are so low to the ground,” Tokajer said of the prohibited means of transportation. “We already are worrying about the bicyclists and pedestrians, so to add these vehicles into the mix just makes it more of a safety concern.”