While state laws already exist governing the use of such vehicles,many suburban communities around the Chicago area have adopted stricter rules for e-bikes and e-scooters, citing issues with young people not following the rules of the road when using them.
If adopted, the new minimum age requirement for e-bikes in Naperville would be 16. Fines ranging from $100 to $500 would be assessed on the parents of children caught violating the law.
There are three different classes of e-bikes identified by Illinois state law: Class 1 low-speed electric bicycles, which are pedal assist and have a maximum speed of 20 mph; Class 2 low-speed electric bicycles, which are pedal assist and throttle and have a maximum speed of 20 mph; and Class 3 low-speed electric bicycles, which are pedal assist, have a maximum speed of 28 mph and a minimum age requirement of 16.
State law also regulates low-speed e-scooters, limiting them to a maximum speed of 10 mph and prohibiting them on roadways where the speed limit is 35 mph or higher. Riders must be at least 18 years old.
“Our understanding is the state does not currently regulate minimum ages for Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes,” Kelley Munch, senior communications specialist for the city, said.
If approved, the new age requirement for riding Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes in Naperville would be 16.
“We’ve seen a lot of dangerous situations that I believe is just the lack of experience with kids understanding the rules of the road,” Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres said at the Nov. 4 council meeting.
According to state law, low-speed e-bikes can be ridden on “any highway, street, or roadway authorized for use by bicycles, including, but not limited to, bicycle lanes.” The law also states that a person may operate a low-speed e-bike on any bicycle path unless local laws dictate otherwise. Such bikes are prohibited on sidewalks.
“Children under 16 who aren’t licensed don’t understand the rules of the road,” Arres said. “The law says you have to ride these e-bikes on the street, so if you don’t understand the rules of the road … are you creating a hazard for yourself and other motorists? The belief is yes, because they’re inexperienced with the road.
Other rules the city is considering include a maximum speed limit of 15 mph on multiuse paths, trails or bike paths for safety as well as prohibition of Class 3 e-bikes on multiuse paths unless explicitly authorized by the city or managing authority, Munch said.
Randall Case, who spoke at the Nov. 4 council meeting in support of the ordinance, said he recently saw a young person on an e-bike who “almost mowed down a lady with a stroller holding a toddler walking on the sidewalk.”
“These kids are just being stupid and they’re not paying attention,” Case said. “They think that they can ride on the sidewalks, and that’s something that just shouldn’t be happening, especially when they almost take out a woman pushing a baby stroller and holding a toddler.”
Case said he was also supportive of putting the financial obligation on parents because it should encourage them to be stricter with their children on the topic.
“That’s something that I think is very important because (it) teaches them to be more parental,” he said.
In addition to the new regulations, Naperville hopes to promote educational materials about e-bikes and e-scooters to ensure proper use and as an important step towards enforcement of the law.
“Parents are the people who are buying these things for their kids and letting them use it,” said Councilman Patrick Kelly, who emphasized the importance of getting the word out to parents and school districts.
“I’m going to try to push education to our local stores to hopefully hand flyers out,” Arres said. “We can supply them with flyers when folks are buying these bikes. Whether they take that on or not is obviously up to that specific business.”
Council members will vote on the proposed new rules at a future meeting.
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