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Mill Creek residents urge council and police to act on young e‑bike riders; officials say enforcement and education are options
Summary
Residents told the City Council they are seeing children riding e‑bikes and electric scooters dangerously on main roads and through neighborhoods. Councilors and police noted enforcement and education are potential responses, and state rules may also be relevant.
Two Mill Creek residents used the public‑comment portion of the council meeting Tuesday to describe repeated incidents of children riding electric bicycles and scooters unsafely on busy streets and neighborhood cul‑de‑sacs and urged the city to act.
Karen Brandon, who identified herself as a Mill Creek resident, described an 8‑ to 12‑year‑old riding an e‑bike in a large cul‑de‑sac and down hills at speed, sometimes riding through stop signs. “Half the time he doesn’t look. He just expects everybody to stop for him,” Brandon said during public comment.
Another resident, who identified himself as Wright, asked how police handle enforcement when the rider is too young to hold a driver’s license and the vehicle is not registered or insured: “When it comes to driving a golf cart on public streets or sidewalks the officer can ask does the driver have a driver’s license? ... What happens to [a preteen] on a motor scooter and motorbike without a helmet?”
Mayor Holtzclaw said the council has discussed the issue with staff and that enforcement may be a mix of local and state responses. A resident in the meeting thanked the police for increased patrols, saying, “in the past six weeks, I’ve seen the city of Mill Creek police out working more than I’ve seen probably in the last 20 years.”
State Representative April Berg, who was the council’s invited guest that evening, told councilors and residents she has seen similar concerns elsewhere and that some proposals — including age restrictions or caps on certain classes of e‑bikes — have come up in other jurisdictions. Berg encouraged local officials to coordinate with the state if rule changes are necessary. “I live at Evergreen. I’ve seen exactly what the two folks talked about, and so that’s near and dear,” she said.
What happens next: Councilors and staff indicated they will review options including targeted enforcement, parent education and coordination with state representatives about whether statutory changes are needed. The police department was not asked to propose a specific ordinance at Tuesday’s meeting; councilors said they expect staff to evaluate enforcement options and possible educational outreach.
Ending: Residents said they appreciated the council and police attention and asked for more outreach to parents and more enforcement in problem locations; the council directed staff to follow up and report options at a future meeting.
