About a month after the Park Ridge City Council passed regulations on electric bikes and scooters, police Chief Bob Kempwirth told aldermen his officers are trying to recognize bike types and get the word out to young people who ride them.
The chief said riders don’t know the new law and don’t seem to respect officers tasked with enforcing it. Add to that, officers don’t always know the types of bikes being ridden – some of these electric vehicles are motor vehicles.
In July, Park Ridge leaders voted to keep all motorized scooters and bikes off the sidewalks, and limited electric bikes – also known as e-bikes – to use by individuals 14 years old and older for the slower models. Class III model use is for those 16 and older, as defined by the state.
Illinois sets Class III bikes to include e-bikes capable of going over 20 miles per hour.
But beyond that, electric bikes that have batteries with more than 750 watts are considered motor vehicles as defined by state law. Those require driver’s licenses to operate, license plates and vehicle registration.
Whether the drivers know this and whether the police officers can recognize these distinctions isn’t yet clear. What is clear is that some drivers seem to be going fast, and they’re not stopping for police, officials say.
“[Riders] are flying by at high rates of speed, giving the one finger salute,” Kampwirth said of the fastest electronic vehicles.
During the discussion of public safety at the City Council Committee of a Whole meeting Aug. 18, Kampwirth said that with school back in session he’s hopeful officers will have an easier task of spreading the word to young people. Also, new signs will be erected in town alerting e-scooter and e-bike riders of the laws.
Jesse Wright is a freelancer.