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Parma delays final vote on new e-bike rules after committee discussion on enforcement and safety
Summary
Council moved Ordinance 163-25, a rewrite of city rules for electric bicycles, to second reading and referred it back to the Public Safety Committee after detailed discussion about enforceability, lighting and audible-warning requirements; residents urged public education and safe infrastructure.
Parma City Council on Sept. 15 referred Ordinance 163-25, which would revise local rules governing electric bicycles, back to the Public Safety Committee for further work after council members and staff discussed enforceability, safety equipment and how the city should align with state and neighboring communities.
Councilmember Deborah Lime and other council members said the measure reflects months of work by city staff, the law department and the police department. Tom Kelly, assistant law director, and Safety Director Corey (first name not given in the transcript) briefed the committee on legal research and enforcement considerations. Assistant Chief Riley attended a staff meeting, the transcript says, and provided practical policing perspectives on how officers might enforce any new restrictions.
Councilman Rob Early raised questions about where e-bikes would be permitted and whether they could be ridden on Metroparks routes; Councilwoman Lime said she reviewed Metroparks code and found it allows lower-speed e-bikes (class 1) up to 25 mph but not higher-speed models. Lime told the committee: “...this is kind of like all in this. There is a state code. We are basically following the state code and adding our two cents into it also.”
Discussion focused on three enforcement-related details: whether lights should be required at night, whether audible warnings or horns should be mandated, and how police could identify different speed classes or modified e-bikes. Police and law staff emphasized enforceability: if the ordinance can’t be easily enforced in the field, it won’t achieve safety goals. Assistant law director Kelly said the department is “put us in a great direction” and that the police department should be able to enforce the final ordinance.
During public comment, resident Jeff Minnick urged the city to study infrastructure and education, noting curb debris, potholes and lane widths make on-street riding hazardous. Minnick also said “education is really something that needs to be done” and recommended local outreach and coordination with bicyclist groups.
Council voted to send the ordinance back to Public Safety for more work, with a motion for second reading and referral. The committee will continue outreach to regional peers (some nearby cities were cited as also drafting rules) and will seek input from police, legal counsel and community groups before the next reading.
