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Keizer council and bike-ped committee flag e-bike safety as growing concern; committee proposes new name, education campaign
Summary
A Traffic, Bikeway and Pedestrian Committee report flagged e-bike safety as a legal and enforcement challenge and recommended renaming the committee and pursuing an education campaign, signage and coordination with police and ODOT resources.
Members of the Keizer Traffic, Bikeway and Pedestrian Committee told the City Council on Sept. 2 that electric bikes are a growing safety problem on sidewalks, paths and some roadways and that the legal framework is inconsistent.
Committee member Hirsch Sangster said the group is recommending changing the committee's name to the Keizer Bicycle Pedestrian Traffic Safety Committee to keep bicyclists visible in the committee's identity and to emphasize pedestrian issues. "Everything is an ebike," Sangster said, describing how rapid product changes have blurred earlier legal categories and complicated enforcement.
Sangster and other committee members reviewed a pilot flag program and a helmet-fitting event and reported positive community feedback. He said he had attended ODOT's webinar on e-bikes and warned that "the helmets that our program provides ... would not provide much protection" for some higher-speed throttle-equipped devices.
Police and city staff told the council there are existing laws that can be enforced and urged residents to call police when a dangerous incident is occurring. The police representative said, "If our police officers are available, they will respond to it," and noted limited staffing could delay response for lower-priority calls.
Council members and staff directed the committee to develop specific messaging and signage for parks and paths, and recommended that staff publish trusted educational resources (including an online safety program cited by the committee) through the city's communications channels. The committee also recommended keeping a helmet program and exploring targeted outreach to parents and schools.
No ordinance or binding policy was adopted; the council asked staff and the committee to return with recommended messaging, sign designs and incremental legislative priorities the city might pursue with the League of Oregon Cities and the state legislative delegation.
