Highland Park has approved new regulations kicking e-bikes and e-scooters off of sidewalks and trails due to growing safety concerns.
According to a city news release, the new ordinance passed by the City Council last month also requires riders to meet age and licensing requirements to ride such vehicles. Riders must be over 16 with a driver’s license to operate an e-bike by themselves, or over 18 with a driver’s license to operate an e-scooter by themselves.
The ordinance requires e-bikes and e-scooters to only be driven on roadways, where they have to follow all road rules. It prohibits them from sidewalks, parking lots, bicycle paths and other public property, including public parks and trails, the release said.
Toy vehicles and motorized wheelchairs are exempt from the regulations.
The council is considering increasing the minimum fine from $10 to $100 for violations.
During a June 16 committee of the whole meeting, police Sgt. Brian Soldano gave a presentation saying there has been an increase in complaints and incidents the department has handled involving electric bikes and scooters. Police have seen “almost daily” incidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters, he said.
“When you have something that looks like a bicycle but operates differently, traveling in the neighborhood of 28 mph down a sidewalk, that puts the public safety in jeopardy,” Soldano said.
He shared the story of an incident that left a juvenile in the hospital when, while riding an e-scooter wearing headphones, they entered a crosswalk without paying attention and collided with a vehicle.
It’s a problem facing other area communities, he said, including Deerfield, Lombard, Glen Ellyn and Lake Forest, which have adopted “variations” of Highland Park’s ordinance. The new rules will give officers “the teeth” they need for enforcement, Soldano said.
The council voted 6-1 in favor of the ordinance, with member Jon Center casting the sole dissenting vote.
Center emphasized that he understands the safety concerns related to the use of electric bikes and scooters, especially by irresponsible youths, and that he is “committed to safety for all members of the community.”
But he said he feels the ban is overly broad and will have “unintended consequences” for other community members, including older residents.
“I think we’ve worked hard to promote being a bicycle-friendly community … by restricting a portion of cyclists who enjoy riding bikes on these paths,” he said. “It feels contrary to those goals.”
There are different classes of e-bikes, ranging from pedal-assisted to “effectively a motorcycle,” Center said, and ordinances should recognize those differences. A pedal-assisted bike can allow for families and older residents to ride farther, as opposed to other motorized bikes, which just have riders “essentially pulling a throttle.”
“For me, these are two very different use cases, and the ordinance that we have in this community should reflect those different use cases,” he said.
Center said he wants Highland Park to think “more creatively” on how to ensure safety, while allowing for the safe usage of pedal-assisted bikes by many members of the city’s cycling community.
Other council members were adamant about keeping e-bikes off of the city’s trails, including Annette Lidawer.
“I’m a walker,” she said. “I see all these people with little kids. If you want to ride your e-bike with your spouse, get on the street. They’re dangerous, and I don’t want them.”
While council member Anthony Blumberg said he understood the “value” of such vehicles for riders, he wasn’t comfortable with them on paths with pedestrians.
“I’m thinking of Green Bay trail, which is heavily used by a lot of slow traffic, dog walkers, manual wheelchairs,” he said. “I would not want that shared with e-bikes, which have the potential to go very rapidly.”
