Coppell bars e-bikes from natural-surface park trails, raises helmet requirement to 16

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 amended the traffic code to add a definition for “e-bicycle” and to raise the required bicycle-helmet age from 14 to 16, aligning the local code with the state’s definition of a child. "We've received a lot of concern complaints from citizens around electric bicycles in our community," Chief Danny Barton told the council. "The citizens ... are asking us or begging us to do something. You've got to do something about these electric bikes."

Staff and the City Attorney said state statute (Texas Transportation Code section 551.106) limits municipal prohibitions: where non-electric bicycles are permitted — including on streets and most paved sidewalks — electric bicycles generally cannot be banned. The statute makes an explicit exception for natural-surface trails, which is the legal basis the council used to prohibit e-bikes on the city’s unimproved park trails.

Chief Barton described the police approach used this summer: targeted education, on-scene stops and coordination with school resource officers. He told council the department has seen riders traveling "20 to 28 miles an hour on a bike," and that officers found helmets hanging on handlebars during stops; officers prioritized education rather than immediate ticketing. The fire department reported responding to roughly six incidents the chief believed involved e-bikes, and the police department recorded at least two responses the chief could confirm.

Council members discussed whether the city could treat wide paved park paths differently from sidewalks adjacent to roads. City legal counsel said officials could explore a formal distinction between a pedestrian sidewalk and a multiuse paved trail, but cautioned it would require a clear, defensible definition and potentially updates to park plans and ordinances.

Votes and motions: For the parks-code amendment (Item 8), Council member Hill moved approval; Council member Nevills seconded. The motion passed with votes recorded in favor by Council members Walker, Carroll, Nevills, Prem Kumar and Hill; none opposed. For the traffic-code amendment raising the helmet age to 16 (Item 9), Council member Prem Kumar moved to close the public hearing and approve the ordinance; Council member Hill seconded. The motion carried with the same unanimous roll call.

Implementation notes: Staff said the police department will continue with education and selective enforcement and will coordinate with school administrators and Life Safety Park to expand bicycle and e-bike safety training. The new ordinances affect only natural-surface park trails and helmet requirements; state law continues to govern where e-bikes may operate on roads and paved bike routes.

The ordinances take effect according to the city’s standard code-adoption timeline; staff said they will provide updates about enforcement priorities and related public education efforts to council in future reports.