Deerfield trustees review scooter, e-bike ordinance; staff to clarify under‑16 exemption

Deerfield trustees on Aug. 18 reviewed a 90‑day report on the village’s personal mobility device ordinance — the regulation the board adopted May 19 that restricts certain e‑bikes and scooters — and directed staff to clarify one exemption in subsection f(4) before returning with a revised ordinance at the board’s next meeting.

The police department told trustees the number of calls related to motor‑driven devices has declined since the ordinance was adopted, and described ongoing education rather than broad enforcement. “At this time, the police department doesn't have any recommendations for, for anything changing with the ordinance, at this time,” the police representative said, while noting continued outreach through social media, farmers markets and school resource officers.

Trustees and staff said the ordinance has prompted other nearby communities to consider similar rules and emphasized the need for clearer public communications. Trustee comments repeatedly urged easy‑to‑read public materials and infographics, and asked staff to re‑distribute an existing infographic via the village e‑blast, social channels and community groups.

The police representative provided the board with operational data: before the ordinance took effect the department had approximately 63 calls related to these devices (including six crashes, two injury incidents and one suspected DUI, plus about 54 general safety concerns). After adoption (May 19–May 31) the department logged about 20 calls: one crash, two injury incidents, eight instances where officers located and educated riders, eight complaints in which officers were unable to locate the riders and one complaint involving a rider who was legally operating the device. The department said it later received one additional report of a crash with minor injuries when the rider was in a crosswalk.

Trustees asked staff to clarify subsection f(4), which currently reads that a “person under the age of 16 when accompanied by that person’s parent or legal guardian” is exempt. Staff told the board the exemption as written could be read to exempt young riders from the ordinance’s helmet and speed restrictions; the intent, staff said, was only to modify the age restriction. The board directed staff to revise that language and bring the corrected ordinance back at the next meeting.

Trustees also discussed coordination with other agencies: schools have cooperated in outreach, while Deerfield Park District staff had not yet provided a final position despite multiple contacts. Staff said they are finalizing a single, simplified template for private‑property agreements with downtown property owners so enforcement will be consistent across sites.

The board’s next step is a formal revised ordinance that clarifies the under‑16 exemption language and restates helmet, speed and other safety requirements for all riders; trustees did not pursue any immediate change to enforcement policy and emphasized continued education through SROs and community messaging.