Elizabeth trustees to consider e-bike rules, including 15-mph speed limit
The board is scheduled to consider Aug. 25 whether to adopt proposed rules for e-bikes and other motorized devices, including location restrictions and a $250 minimum fine for adults who enable violations by minors.
The Elizabeth Board of Trustees is scheduled to consider Ordinance 26-14 at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, at Town Hall. The proposed rules would impose a 15-mph speed limit on several electric and motorized devices and restrict Class 3 e-bikes from much of town property, school property and private property without written permission.
The measure is not adopted. The Board of Trustees agenda lists Ordinance 26-14 as New Business item 8 for “discussion and possible action” at 151 S. Banner St. The agenda does not establish what action trustees will take.
Under the proposed ordinance, operators of electric-assisted bicycles, mobility devices, electric scooters and certain other covered vehicles would have to travel no faster than 15 mph, keep right on street lanes, yield to bicycles in bike lanes and paths, and park without obstructing pedestrians. Riders younger than 18 would have to wear helmets.
The ordinance does not identify specific roads, trails, parks or schools. Instead, it sets rules for categories of places and allows some restrictions to be added later through signs or written orders.
Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes generally would be allowed on public roads, trails and in parks unless signs say otherwise. The town could prohibit them on heavily trafficked roads if a suitable bike path or other trail runs parallel to or within 450 feet of the road’s right of way. The proposal would prohibit covered devices in playgrounds, courts and athletic fields.
Class 3 e-bikes would face broader restrictions, including a prohibition on town-owned property other than bike lanes, town parks and trails, and other publicly owned recreational facilities. Class 3 e-bikes, toy vehicles and unlicensed vehicles also would be barred from school-district property and public school grounds, including parking lots, unless the superintendent or designee gives written permission. The proposal would similarly prohibit those categories on private property in town, including parking lots and sidewalks, unless the owner or representative provides a specific written order.
The proposal would allow electric scooters on public streets but not sidewalks, subject to possible posted restrictions. It also sets rules for low-power scooters, low-speed electric vehicles, toy vehicles and unlicensed vehicles. The town’s existing traffic code would apply to riders of electric-assisted bicycles, including provisions on reckless driving, careless driving and eluding police. The ordinance does not specify a separate enforcement staffing plan or citation procedure.
Adults who authorize, assist, permit or encourage a minor to violate the proposed rules could be found in violation themselves. A person found guilty of, or pleading guilty or no contest to, that violation would face a mandatory minimum $250 fine, excluding fees and surcharges. The proposal does not establish that any fine has been issued. It also appears to reference electric scooters in its written-order provision without clearly requiring such authorization in the school- and private-property provisions, an inconsistency trustees may need to clarify.
If adopted, Ordinance 26-14 would take effect 30 days after publication. The Aug. 25 meeting is the next step in deciding whether the proposed rules advance, change or fail.