WESTLAKE, Ohio — In Westlake, city council is considering new restrictions on e-bikes and scooters, including requiring riders to be at least 14 years old to operate them on city streets.
When it comes to e-bikes and scooters, parents have different opinions. But as these electric devices become more common, so do concerns about safety.
“I don't know if we necessarily are seeing more crashes, but definitely more severe injuries when they occur,” said Lieutenant Ryan Pischel with the Westlake Police Department.
Those concerns are helping drive Westlake City Council's consideration of a new ordinance to regulate e-mobility devices.
“We believe this is a responsible measure to address the issue that we've seen for a number of years since these devices have become more and more popular,” said council president David Greenspan.
Greenspan says the proposed ordinance includes several restrictions. Riders must be at least 14 years old to operate these devices, and the devices cannot have a motor speed capacity exceeding 28 miles per hour. The ordinance would also prohibit riding on sidewalks, shared-use paths, trails, bicycle paths and other pedestrian walkways.
“One of the main things we heard from residents of the city, both moms strolling their children in strollers or seniors walking on our sidewalks, was the proliferation of these devices on sidewalks,” Greenspan said.
Alongside the proposed ordinance, Greenspan adds that the city plans to continue working with police and the school system to educate students about traffic safety.
“A lot of these riders have never taken a driver education class; they don't understand the rules of the road,” Greenspan said.
Greenspan says the goal is to improve safety, especially for children, a priority Westlake police say they share.
“Although they are a toy or something that could be viewed as that for children to have fun and just be out there with their friends, we still want to make sure that as adults and especially as the police department, we're taking the proper steps to increase safety for our residents, especially children,” Pischel said.
If approved, the ordinance would take effect within 10 days of being signed.
Nadeen Abusada is a Cuyahoga County and immigration reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Instagram NadeenAbusada or email her at Nadeen.Abusada@wews.com.
