Blakely, Pa., Bans Electric Bikes, Scooters on Borough Land

(TNS) — E-bikes are now banned on all borough-owned property in Blakely after recent issues with kids riding them recklessly.

“These kids don’t understand. They’re blowing by people at 30- to 40-miles-an-hour on basically a sidewalk,” Police Chief Guy Salerno said. “We can’t have that.”

Council adopted an ordinance Monday night prohibiting the use of motorized bicycles, scooters and similar devices on all borough-owned property. Council voted 6-0 to pass the legislation, borough Manager Chris Paone said.

Riding e-bikes on borough property is now a summary offense, carrying a fine of up to $300, according to the ordinance. Titled the “Motorized Device Prohibition Ordinance,” it includes e-bikes, electric scooters, electric skateboards, hoverboards and similar devices, barring anyone from using them on borough-owned or -leased property, which encompasses parks, playgrounds, recreational facilities, trails, sidewalks and public grounds, according to a copy of the ordinance.

The ban also includes gas-powered bikes, Paone said.

The legislation, which went into effect Monday night, allows the Blakely Police Department and authorized borough officials to enforce the ban, with police having the ability to issue citations for violations.

Both Salerno and Paone identified the e-bikes as being especially problematic at Blakely’s popular recreation complex off Keystone Avenue and River Street. The vast majority of problems have been from children under 16, Paone said.

“They’ve been flying around, causing a lot of issues, almost hitting people,” he said.

Offenders are riding e-bikes and e-scooters in the park, on the basketball and tennis courts, and even across their recently redone baseball field, Salerno said.

“If they had just gone through the park at a normal pace on the bike paths where they’re supposed to be, we probably wouldn’t even be having this discussion,” he said. “But, that is not what occurred. The first two warm days that we had where it was 70 degrees in April, it was crazy.”

Borough police spent hours at the park dealing with e-bikes, the chief said.

The borough also has issues with young riders failing to yield and follow traffic laws like a vehicle, Paone said.

Blakely received some complaints about e-bikes last year, but nothing like the inundation this year, Salerno said.

“Now it seems they’re everywhere — everybody has them,” he said. “It’s a real problem.”

Salerno believes parents don’t fully understand what they are buying their children when they get them e-bikes, especially electric dirt bikes.

“For some reason, people think, ‘Oh, electric? Not an issue,’” Salerno said. “It is an issue. They go just as fast.”

He listed numerous state restrictions on the electric vehicles and pointed out that children could face citations beyond borough-level summary offenses.

For example, under state law, children under 16 are not allowed to operate an electric-assisted bicycle, which is defined as anything that goes under 20 mph and has an electric assist, Salerno said.

Salerno pointed to an incident last year where two 15-year-olds on an e-bike were struck by a car after they failed to yield and “blew out into the road.”

“At the end of the day, I don’t want a child getting killed or a person being hit or run over by one of these bikes in one of our local parks,” Salerno said. “That’s what this ordinance is trying to accomplish — if they’re not there, they can’t cause a problem, and no one can get hurt.”

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