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Woodbridge Council adopts e-bike and parking ordinances after public hearing
Summary
The Woodbridge Township Council adopted two ordinances updating parking at the Berkeley College municipal lot and restricting certain classes of electric bicycles from sidewalks for riders 17 and older; residents urged clearer sidewalk definitions, school-based safety training and audible devices on bikes.
Woodbridge Township’s council on the evening it met closed public hearings and adopted two ordinances that change parking at a municipal lot near Berkeley College and tighten rules for bicycles and e-bikes.
Council President Spiller moved to take the measures up for second and third reading and open public hearings; after testimony the council voted to adopt the ordinances and submit them to the mayor for approval.
Resident Tom Morris asked whether the ordinance includes a formal legal definition of ‘‘sidewalk’’ and whether riders would be required to dismount and walk bicycles on pedestrian ways. Morris also questioned the ordinance’s age cutoff, asking why 17 was chosen and urging the council to reconsider the age-based rule. ‘‘If you hit somebody with one of those things moving at speed, they can do just as much damage,’’ Morris said, urging that the measure not hinge only on age and proposing school-based bike-safety classes.
Director Neske and Sergeant Angel explained that the ordinance would bar riders on class‑2 and class‑3 e-bikes from sidewalks once they are 17 or older and that operators of certain vehicles remain subject to state traffic rules including helmet and signal requirements. Officials said enforcement is primarily aimed at riders creating roadway hazards rather than ordinary bicycling.
Other members of the public described children riding fast, unlit bicycles at night and urged tighter enforcement. Council members and staff reiterated that the ordinance targets devices and riding that create safety hazards and that different classes of e-bikes are treated according to their equipment and licensing requirements.
The ordinance text as described by staff allows regular bicycles to remain on sidewalks where allowed by law, while higher‑powered e-bikes would face specific sidewalk restrictions. The council did not adopt language changing who is required to walk a bicycle on sidewalks; those operational clarifications were left to ordinance implementation and enforcement.
The council closed the public hearing and adopted the ordinances by voice vote; the measures were submitted to the mayor for approval as required by law. The council’s action also included publishing notice for two additional ordinances for first reading with a public hearing set for Sept. 9, 2025.
