Roselle board asks staff to draft e-bike rules, considers age, helmet and enforcement steps

Roselle — The Village Board asked staff on Tuesday to draft local regulations for electric bicycles after the police chief described repeated safety problems involving high‑powered e‑bikes and younger riders.

Police Chief Rob Barreto told the board e‑bikes and off‑highway electric motorcycles have become a recurring public‑safety issue in Roselle, with “kids under 16 years of age” operating vehicles that can travel at 20 to 68 miles per hour and sometimes refusing to stop for officers. He urged the board to adopt local rules that mirror the Illinois Vehicle Code so officers can issue citations locally rather than sending matters to county traffic court.

Board members said they supported several policy directions suggested during the discussion: (1) adopt the Illinois Vehicle Code e‑bike classifications into village code for local adjudication; (2) add an explicit parental‑responsibility clause and an authority for officers to impound e‑bikes temporarily and release them to a parent or guardian; (3) require helmets for younger riders consistent with neighboring municipalities; and (4) take a stricter approach to higher‑powered Class 3 or “off‑highway” electric motorcycles—either by raising age limits, requiring registration, or banning those devices on public ways.

Chief Barreto outlined state definitions: Class 1 and 2 e‑bikes have motors of 750 watts or less and top speeds of about 20 mph (Class 2 may include a throttle); Class 3 e‑bikes are pedal‑assist up to about 28 mph and carry a 16‑and‑older age restriction under state law. He said some electric “dirt bike” models exceed 750 watts and top 60–68 mph; those machines are not legal on public roads under state law and should be treated as off‑highway motorcycles in local code.

Trustees discussed examples from nearby communities. Officials praised Huntley’s approach of permitting pedal‑only use for riders under 16 (which effectively disables throttle use), Itasca’s parental‑responsibility clause and impoundment authority, and Bloomingdale’s helmet rules tied to rider age and e‑bike class. Several trustees said they preferred a policy that differentiates Class 1/2 (lower speed) from Class 3 and higher‑powered devices and that any final ordinance should avoid unintended impacts on adults who rely on Class 3 bikes for transportation.

On enforcement, board members asked staff to research a registration or limited licensing program (for example, a village sticker tied to proof of age or a driver’s license) and recommended evaluating whether the police bike unit should be equipped with electric patrol bikes to pursue dangerous riders safely at events or on trails. The Roselle Park District’s recent restrictions on e‑bike classes on park trails were cited as a related local policy the board may coordinate with.

Trustees did not adopt an ordinance at the meeting; instead they gave direction to staff to draft language for a future meeting and requested a GIS map of village bike paths to review where different restrictions would apply. Chief Barreto said he and staff will work with the village attorney on draft code changes and return with options and a sample ordinance.

The board’s direction included exploring: importing Illinois Vehicle Code definitions into village code for local adjudication, banning off‑highway electric motorcycles from public streets (treat them as personal use vehicles limited to private property), establishing helmet/age rules, adding a parental‑responsibility enforcement path, and evaluating patrol e‑bikes for enforcement and public‑safety events.