Lincolnwood village trustees not only want to look at regulations on e-bikes, but also consider the impact traditional bicycles have on pedestrians, opting to send further consideration of the issue to its Traffic Commission.
A first pass at regulating e-bikes in Lincolnwood is headed to committee after officials couldn’t settle on what exactly to regulate.
At the heart of the matter for some village leaders is that issues with e-bikes are also concerns related to peddle bikes, so why only regulate the one type. Electric scooters are already forbidden for public use in the village.
“You can’t regulate e-bikes without regulating bikes,” said Trustee Craig Klatzco.
Last Tuesday, Lincolnwood police Chief Jay Parrott presented the mayor and Village Board meeting as the Committee of the Whole with a handful of proposed regulations for electric bikes. But leaders wanted more regulation in some areas and the mayor pointed out whatever problems e-bikes presented were present in regular peddle bikes as well, so it didn’t make sense to just regulate e-bikes.
At the end of the discussion, the COTW sent the matter to the Traffic Commission for review.
Among other things, Parrott suggested the village limit e-bikes to going 10 miles per hour when pedestrians are present, and require that riders are at least 16 years old. E-bike use would be prohibited on sidewalks, paths and parks – aside from those designated for bike use.
Class 3, or level 3, e-bikes, which go the fastest and over 20 miles per hour as defined by state law, would be prohibited.
However, trustees pointed out that pedal bike riders could easily go faster than 10 miles per hour and regular bikes are technically allowed on sidewalks.
Also, mayor Jesal Patel said he’d like to hear from residents and others ahead of any regulations being adopted.
More Top Picks Cameras
“We don’t have any input from the public,” he said. “I think input is what we would like.”
Patel questioned how an e-bike going 10 miles per hour was much different from a regular bike being pedaled at a speed of 15 mph.
Trustee Atour Sargon said the mayor was “getting into the weeds” since the discussion on the agenda was specifically only about e-bikes.
But Patel said the regulations should apply to all bikes. The mayor said he would also like a regulation requiring all bike riders to give pedestrians a warning on the trail, either by calling out or via a bike bell.
“The big problem isn’t that they’re going over 10 miles an hour,” Patel said. “It’s that they don’t announce that they’re passing. It enrages people. The number of people riding their bikes on paths has really just jumped up this year and nobody, nobody announces they’re passing. They don’t ring a bell.”
He said he wanted a marked sign plus enforcement, and he asked the chief to be deputized specifically so he could enforce the proposed regulation.
“We’re not going to be able to enforce 10 miles per hour or 12 miles per hour or 20 miles per hour. But the passing, we will enforce that,” Patel said. “I will get a T-shirt that says ‘I dare you not to announce that you’re passing.’”
The board asked village officials to make sure the community is aware of the proposed bike regulations and to weigh in. The Traffic Commission is scheduled to meet July 24.
Jesse Wright is a freelancer.