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Coppell police outline state e-bike rules; council asks staff to align city code and boost education
Summary
Police explained state law that generally treats electric bicycles like conventional bicycles, reviewed three e-bike classes, and recommended aligning local code for helmets and education; council directed staff to return with draft ordinance updates and plans for school-based outreach.
Police Chief Danny Barton briefed council on state-level regulations for electric bicycles and the limits of local authority, and he suggested modest local changes and education to address resident complaints about riding behavior and skill levels.
Barton said state law makes electric bicycles subject to bicycle rules of the road and prevents local governments from banning e-bikes on streets or in any area where conventional bicycles are permitted, except on unimproved natural-surface trails. He said signage or local sidewalk prohibitions can still be applied to all bicycles in specific locations; localities may also set speed limits for bicycle paths.
“Everything that applies to a bicycle is gonna apply to an ebike,” Barton said in the meeting. He identified three state-defined e-bike classes: class 1 (pedal assist up to 20 mph), class 2 (throttle or no-pedal assist up to 20 mph) and class 3 (pedal assist up to 28 mph and restricted to riders older than 15). He told council that faster off‑class e-bikes — some that can reach 40–60 mph — would likely be treated as mopeds or motorcycles and are subject to different regulations.
Barton recommended considering an amendment to the city’s helmet requirement (now 14 and under) to include e-bikes and possibly raise the age to 16; council members discussed both options. Officers already enforce helmet rules when obvious, and parents, not youths, can be cited when children lacking helmets are stopped, Barton said.
Council members raised enforcement and education questions. Several asked staff to work with school resource officers and the school district to distribute safety materials and to prepare ordinance language that would explicitly treat e-bikes like bicycles for local helmet rules. Barton said SROs and patrol officers will support outreach and briefed council on a recent crash involving a student on a sidewalk e-bike.
On several procedural points Barton said staff will prepare a draft ordinance aligning local code with state law, add e-bikes to the helmet rule and consider path speed limits or natural-surface trail prohibitions as desired. Council did not adopt an ordinance at the meeting; staff were directed to return with suggested language and an education plan.
