The Prairie Village Police Department has seen the calls for service involving electric bikes and scooters grow by nearly five times this year in comparison to 2024.
“We’ve gotten a lot of complaints, pretty much on a daily basis, of people on e-bikes, e-scooters, maybe not obeying traffic laws, maybe driving a little bit recklessly on the sidewalks, not paying attention to their surroundings,” Captain Josh Putthoff said.
From Jan. 1 until Aug. 27, the department received 88 calls. Last year, the department received 18 calls, and only nine calls in 2023.
The significant jump in complaints pushed the Prairie Village Police Department to encourage the City Council totighten the rules around driving e-bikes and e-scooters around town, and to increase education efforts around e-bike purchases — particularly for parents who buy their kids these modes of transportation without knowing all of their features. Putthoff noted that Prairie Village hasn’t seen any major incidents or injuries with e-bikes or e-scooters at this time.
As these bikes become more readily available and more affordable, more Johnson County cities have rules put in place to ensure safety — or are going back to the drawing board entirely — because of heightened community concerns. Some private businesses are placing bans on the devices altogether.
“We don’t want to be the wreckers of fun,” Putthoff said. “We don’t want to ruin fun but we also want people to stay safe, and that goes for anyone riding an e-bike and e-scooter.”
NEW RULES OF THE ROAD
In late July, the Prairie Village City Council adopted new ordinances around the use of e-bikes and e-scooters.
The new rules state that e-bike or e-scooter operators must yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and give an audible signal before passing or overtaking them.
Riders also can’t operate their bike or scooter while distracted — like being on their phone — and must not ride in a “reckless, careless or negligent manner.” A police officer has discretion to determine if someone is distracted or driving recklessly.
When people violate the rules, the policy instructs the officer to first work to educate the rider to make sure they’re informed, rather than step right to enforcement. If the person is under 18, the officer will contact their parents or guardian. Multiple offenses could result in a citation.
“They just need to be riding safe,” Putthoff said. “Whether that is on the sidewalk or the street, that’s the way they have to ride.”
They also must abide by the manufacturer’s recommendations for the number of riders, and riders under 18 must wear a helmet.
E-bikes in particular have specific classes that determine the number of riders they can hold and the maximum speeds, with three classes available for purchase. Classes 1 and 2 can only go up to 20 miles per hour, which is allowed on sidewalks.
A Class 3 e-bike can go higher than 20 miles per hour, Putthoff said, and Prairie Village requires these bikes to be driven on the road by someone 16 or older.
“That’s been a big part of our education,” Putthoff said about the types of e-bikes available, adding that parents in particular need to be careful of what they’re buying for their child or teen.
“We had an officer stop a high school student the other day and what he was actually driving was basically considered a motorcycle,” he said. “It’s all electric, but … it could go over 50 miles per hour.”
NEIGHBORING CITIES TAKING ACTION
Prairie Village followed in Leawood’s footsteps, which established its rules for e-bikes and e-scooters in 2023.
While there wasn’t an incident that sparked the city’s shift toward more regulations, city officials said they’re trying to stay on top of their rules as e-bikes become more widely available, Leawood Police Department Captain Jason Ahring said.
Prairie Village’s rules mirror Leawood’s, with similar outlines to age requirements for class 3 e-bikes in particular, yielding and giving audible signals to pedestrians, following manufacturer recommendations and not allowing distracted or reckless operation of the device.
“The things we see (causing people) concern are kids on these devices,” Ahring said. “Parents can buy an e-bike, prices come down or they’re readily available. They’re popular amongst kids so you’re seeing people are concerned … about the safety of the kids.”
Like Prairie Village, Leawood focuses on education and safety before writing violations if an officer stops an e-bike or e-scooter operator.
“We use it as an opportunity to educate and try to gain compliance to the ordinances by educating,” Ahring said.
The Leawood Police Department’s school resource officers work with the school districts to share information about e-bikes directly with students, and the department hosts bike rodeos during the spring and summer to look at the e-bike someone may have purchased to help inform parents or residents about the bike’s class and some of the rules around its use.
No rodeos have been scheduled at this time, but families could stop by the Leawood Police Department’s open house on Sept. 20.
RULES THROUGHOUT JOHNSON COUNTY
Other Johnson County cities, like Olathe, Shawnee and Lenexa, have rules in place around the use of these devices, too.
Most of the rules share similarities to those in place in Leawood and Prairie Village, but some of the larger cities have different speed limits for the devices and include rules about motorized skateboards.
In Lenexa, e-bikes are subject to the same rules and regulations as a traditional bicycle. Bikes must be equipped with lights when operated between dusk and dawn.
The electric motor can’t exceed a power output of 750 watts and can only provide assistance when the rider is pedaling, according to the city rules. Bikes that can go faster than 20 miles per hour are not allowed in Lenexa city limits.
Scooters aren’t allowed in Lenexa public parks and can’t be capable of going faster than 15 miles per hour. If scooters or bikes are abandoned or illegally parked, they can be impounded by the city.
Olathe’s municipal code states that people can’t tamper or modify the bike to change its speed capabilities. Scooters in Olathe can’t go faster than 17 miles per hour.
Overland Park , Johnson County’s largest city, is currently reviewing its ordinances and definitions around e-bike and e-scooter use because of heightened safety concerns.
The city’s Public Safety Committee heldits first discussion on July 9and returned on Aug. 13, with a plan to review safety elements and how any changes to the ordinance might impact users and other groups.
According to the Aug. 13 staff report, committee feedback was varied, “with some members expressing the view that streets are made for cars and sidewalks are for people,” while others felt that the public right-of-way has evolved over the years and the city needs to incorporate new modes of transportation.
No changes have been set in stone and Overland Park plans to work with multiple city departments and regional stakeholders in order to determine the best path forward. No date for a future public meeting has been set at this time.
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