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Coppell bars e-bikes from natural-surface park trails, raises helmet requirement to 16
Summary
The Coppell City Council on July 22 approved ordinances to prohibit electric bicycles on natural-surface trails in city nature parks and to raise the age for required bicycle helmets from 14 to 16, while staff warned state law limits local authority on paved sidewalks and roadways.
Coppell City Council on July 22 approved two ordinance changes that aim to curb high-speed electric-bicycle activity on unsurfaced park trails and to increase helmet requirements for young riders.
Why it matters: Council members and the police chief cited citizen complaints and safety concerns about e-bikes traveling at 20–28 mph on paths shared with pedestrians, pets and children. Council and staff emphasized that state law restricts local authority to prohibit e-bikes on roadways and on paved paths where conventional bicycles are allowed, but permits restrictions on unimproved natural-surface trails.
The council voted to amend the parks and recreation code to add electric bicycles to a prohibition on “paths that are not open to motor vehicles and have a natural surface tread” — language tied to Texas law — for the Biodiversity Education Center trail system and unimproved surfaces within Coppell Nature Park and Wagon Wheel Park. The council also…
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