Texas A&M to Restrict Scooters From Sidewalks in 2027
The university plans to limit scooter use on most campus sidewalks after crashes rose 37% from 2024 to 2025.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Higher Education
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Texas A&M University plans to restrict e-scooters from most campus sidewalks starting Jan. 1, 2027. The move follows a 37% rise in scooter and e-bike crashes on campus between 2024 and 2025.
Why it matters
The Texas A&M System Board of Regents warned in September that scooters could be banned if safety did not improve, putting pressure on the university to act. For College Station residents and students who rely on micromobility devices, the rules will change where and how scooters can legally be ridden on campus.
Scooter and e-bike crashes on campus rose 37% from 2024 to 2025, with 52 incidents recorded in 2025. The current scooter crash rate is about twice the bicycle rate per mile traveled, and the university has not yet said whether the proposed three-times benchmark will be final.
The players
Texas A&M University
A public research university in College Station, Texas, and part of the Texas A&M University System, which operates campuses across the state.
Texas A&M System Board of Regents
The governing body of the Texas A&M University System, which oversees its member universities and sets system-wide policy.
The details
Starting Jan. 1, scooters will be restricted from most campus sidewalks on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with exceptions along certain sidewalks at the edge of campus. Riders will be directed to bike lanes, streets, and shared-use paths, and signs and pavement markings will be added before the rules take effect. All wheeled devices on campus will be subject to a 20-mph speed limit and a one-rider-per-device rule, and handheld devices and headphones or earbuds are prohibited while riding.
Timeline
September 2025: The Texas A&M System Board of Regents warned that scooters could be banned without safety improvement.
2025: 52 scooter and e-bike crashes were recorded on campus.
Nov. 16, 2026: A campus-wide message about the scooter rules is expected.
Jan. 1, 2027: Sidewalk scooter restrictions take effect.
Season Trajectory
Texas A&M's move reflects a broader pattern in which campuses that embraced shared e-scooter fleets in the late 2010s are now tightening rules as crash data accumulates. The proposed three-times-bicycle benchmark would give the university a measurable threshold for banning scooters outright.
Students and staff who ride scooters on campus will need to use bike lanes, streets, or shared-use paths instead of sidewalks on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Riders should also plan around the 20-mph speed limit and the ban on handheld devices and headphones while riding.
The takeaway
Riders who plan routes in advance, using the forthcoming map of designated micromobility routes, will be best positioned to comply when the sidewalk restrictions begin. Checking the campus message expected in November will help riders adjust before the rules take effect.
What happens next
A campus-wide message about the scooter rules is expected on Nov. 16, 2026, and Transportation Services plans to release a map of about 35 miles of designated micromobility routes. The sidewalk restrictions take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
Further reading
For more on how campus policies shape student life, explore Higher Education coverage in College Station.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kbtx.
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