PARKERSBURG — Parkersburg City Council on Tuesday will consider banning motorized bicycles on municipal streets and property, allowing residents of areas with time-limited parking to obtain passes for those spaces and offering a discount for paying annual city fees in advance.

Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in its chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building.

Parkersburg Police Chief Joe Martin said the ordinance prohibiting the use of motorized or motor-assisted bicycles, pocket bikes or mini-bikes is a safety measure for the riders, pedestrians and motorists.

“There’s approximately about 300 of these out and about, not just in the city but in the county,” Martin said.

While some riders obey traffic laws, many do not, the chief said.

“They zip in and out of traffic. They ride up the sidewalk,” said Council President John Reed, one of the ordinance’s sponsors. “I had two of them drag-racing down Fairview Avenue one night.”

The vehicles can reach speeds of more than 20 mph, but most are simply equipped with regular bicycle brakes rather than disc brakes, Martin said.

“They just can’t stop quick enough,” he said.

Complaints about the bikes have been increasing, and the department does not have the time or manpower to simply write citations for riding them on the sidewalk or other violations, Martin said. He sees banning them outright as the most effective solution.

Another ordinance on first reading would establish parking passes for individuals who live on streets where parking is limited to one or two hours — by signs, not meters — and do not have off-street parking available. The passes would be available for a $10 annual fee, which Mayor Tom Joyce said would cover the cost of making the pass decals.

“It’s to provide some, albeit limited, relief … in the residential neighborhoods downtown,” Joyce said.

Four ordinances would offer a 1.5 percent discount for the fire, floodwall, police and sanitation fees for those who pay for a full year up front. Joyce said he was approached by a handful of people who prefer that method of paying their fees, which are technically annual but are billed monthly.

The impact on the city’s budget is expected to be less than $5,000 a year, Joyce said.

Also on the agenda is a resolution endorsing a traffic control device — two islands preventing left turns from Mary Street onto East Street — behind the Seventh Street Sheetz. Joyce and Martin said they do not necessarily see a need for the change, but the West Virginia Division of Highways has requested it based on a traffic study conducted in advance of Sheetz’s arrival.

According to the resolution, Sheetz will pay for the installation.

Reed said he’s concerned the change is unnecessary and will impede motorists wanting to travel downtown from West Virginia 47.

“I think sometimes we jump the gun and put in traffic control devices when we assume we’ll have a problem,” he said.

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Click this link to view Parkersburg City Council’s agenda

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At a Glance

Agenda for Tuesday’s Parkersburg City Council meeting:

* Resolutions appointing Police Chief Joe Martin to the Wood County Recreation Commission and Personnel Director Sondra Wallace to the Mid-Ohio Valley Board of Health.

* Resolutions reappointing Charles O. Casto to the Board of Health and Robert Wright to the Parkersburg Utility Board.

* Resolution endorsing construction of a traffic control device at the intersection of Mary and East streets.

* Resolution authorizing the mayor to submit an application for a $150,000 recycling grant, with no local match required.

* Final reading of an ordinance to rezone a portion of 1217 Blizzard Drive from residential to business.

* First reading of an ordinance amending city code to prohibit motor-driven or motor-assisted bicycles from being operated on city streets, sidewalks and other property.

* First reading of an ordinance amending city code to allow the sale of certain city-owned property via Internet auction, reflecting a recent change in state law.

* First reading of an ordinance allowing limited exemptions for residents in areas where parking is restricted at certain times. A permit would cost $10 a year.

* First reading of an ordinance vacating remaining utility rights of way on the former Lee Street between 17th and 18th streets.

* First readings of four ordinances allowing a discount of 1.5 percent for payment made in full and in advance on annual police, fire, floodwall and sanitation fees.

The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building.