The Flossmoor village board continued the discussion of e-bike and e-scooter policy for the village at the Dec. 1 board meeting, developing a more specific consensus prior to considering formal regulations.
considering how best to regulate the use of e-bikes and e-scooters.
(Adobe/stock phoito)
Assistant Village Manager Jonathan Bogue gave an updated presentation, including statistics on injuries in the state, results of a board survey and staff recommendations.
The village board came to a consensus to ban e-scooters on downtown sidewalks and to not have a helmet mandate but rely on education to encourage their use.
They also agreed it would be best to wait to see what the state does regarding age restrictions on Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, and that local ordinances made can be like state law.
Bogue started with showing examples of e-bikes and e-scooters on sale on Target’s website, currently showing a Segway that can go up to 22 miles per hour, which makes it illegal in Illinois, which has a limit of 20 miles per hour.
“I think this is part of the issue … the public in general doesn’t know that,” Bogue said.
The presentation had statistics from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine journal tracking e-bike and e-scooter injuries from 2021 to 2023.
“The vast majority of e-scooter injuries were from falls. Nearly half of e-bike injuries are from motor vehicle crashes,” Bogue said. “There’s an increased risk of serious injuries associated with e-bikes and e-scooters relative to regular bikes.”
After the previous e-bike and e-scooter discussion, a survey was conducted with the board members to help with recommendations.
Bogue reported that 71% of trustees felt like e-bikes and scooters pose a public safety risk, 57% believe Class 1 and 2 e-bikes need an age requirement, and 71% felt like riders under the age of 18 should not have a helmet mandate, 86% of the board supports e-scooters being banned from downtown Flossmoor sidewalks and 71% support considering an ordinance for e-bikes and e-scooters.
The memo from the meeting goes over bike classes within Illinois State Law, with Class 1 being an e-bike that has motor assists and stops at 20 miles per hour; and a Class 2 bike being motorized with or without pedaling that also stops at 20 miles per hour.
Both classes currently have no minimum age.
Class 3 e-bikes are motor-assist only when pedaling and stopping at 28 miles per hour, with a 16-plus age minimum.
The trustees supported all recommendations and decided to wait to see the state’s decision on Class 1 and 2 e-bike age requirements.
Bogue said the focus is on making sure that the children using the e-bikes and e-scooters follow the rules of the road.
Trustee Rosalind Mustafa referred to a conversation she had with Flossmoor Fire Chief Robert Kopec on the possibilities of education for riders. She said they were brainstorming ways to make it seem cool to kids to be educated about bike safety.
She also stressed the importance of including parents in safety education efforts.
Bogue said this would be something to look towards the state for guidance, for example, if the state were to implement some sort of education for e-bike and e-scooter riders to implement it at a local level.
No action was taken at this meeting. Trustees will continue e-bike and e-scooter discussion in future meetings.
