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Round Lake Beach to review bicycle and e-bike code after resident raises speed limit concerns
Summary
A resident urged trustees to revise a village ordinance that caps bicycle speed at 15 mph; village staff said they will review bicycle and motorized-bike language and bring a recommendation to the Committee of the Whole in August.
A Round Lake Beach resident urged trustees on July 21 to remove or revise a village rule that bars bicycles from traveling more than 15 miles per hour on village streets, and village staff said they will review the code and return to the board with a recommendation.
The current village ordinance, numbered in the transcript as section 5-9-8, states in part that “no person riding a bicycle on a street or a public place shall travel at a speed exceeding 15 miles per hour.” Bruce Williams, who identified himself as a village resident, told trustees he and other avid cyclists regularly ride faster and asked the village to allow higher speeds for compliant riders and to focus enforcement on out-of-class motorized bikes.
“We go out, I ride 40, 60, 80 miles and average 20, 25 miles an hour,” Williams said. “The current law states that I can't ride my bike more than 15 miles an hour on a public road within the village.” He said he follows traffic laws and uses lights and a helmet and distinguished manual cyclists from improperly modified electric bikes.
Village Administrator Scott Hilt told Williams the village is reviewing “all of the codes involving the subject” and will combine his concerns with those raised earlier by Trustee Stout before bringing “a staff recommendation for the board to discuss and approve to move forward next month.” Hilt also said the mayor had discussed proposed edits with village counsel.
Williams noted state-level classifications for electric bicycles and urged the village to regulate motorized devices by function rather than folding manual bicycles into the same restriction.
No formal vote was taken. The village indicated staff will prepare proposed code changes and return the matter to the Committee of the Whole, with an expected discussion in August.
Why it matters: The code affects cyclists’ use of streets, enforcement priorities for police, and how the village treats increasingly common electric and motorized bicycles. Any change to local regulations could alter enforcement and public-safety practices.
Meeting context: The topic arose during the public-participation portion of the July 21 trustees meeting, where state statute limits each speaker to three minutes.
