City and school leaders back state action on e-motor vehicles as schools report safety and parking issues
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Summary
City and school officials described two bills under consideration to define and regulate e-bikes and e-motorcycles (house and senate versions), urged education and local enforcement measures, and discussed limiting certain devices on school property to improve safety.
City and school officials used the linkage session to discuss a state-level response to a growing local safety concern: fast, motorized bicycles and e-motorcycles arriving on Mercer Island streets and school campuses.
Two bills and a work group: Officials referenced a preferred house bill being advanced at the state level (referred to in the session as HB 2374) and a senate companion (referred to as SB 6110). The house bill, as described by city staff, would adopt statewide technical definitions (separating e-bikes from higher-powered e-motor vehicles), provide tools for local enforcement and establish a stakeholder work group (police, cities, trail groups, schools) to recommend rules and safe operating places.
Local effects and enforcement limits: City and police representatives said the council's local ordinance gives limited enforcement tools and that school property rules (which the district can set) offer the clearest immediate path to restrict certain devices at schools. Officials described instances of dangerous riding on sidewalks and in parks, property damage and confrontations with residents, and noted impound authority and pursuit policies are constrained.
Education and interim steps: Participants emphasized an education-first approach for students and parents: repeated suggestions included mandatory safety training or a short video parents and students watch together before a middle-schooler is eligible to park a high-powered device on campus, signage updates in parks to clarify permitted devices, and school-level rules linking parking privileges to completion of safety modules.
Student voice: Student representatives supported safety education, saying more training on rules of the road would make riders safer and reduce reckless behavior; they endorsed ideas like parking-tag systems tied to training completion.
Why it matters: Council and district leaders framed the issue as a safety problem for pedestrians, park users and schoolchildren and stressed that state-level clarity would give cities consistent authority and reduce local confusion over device classes.
Next steps: City staff said the house bill must clear committee and the floor by mid-February (a short-session deadline), and that the municipal work group will continue to refine recommendations. District staff and school resource officers will continue education and on-campus enforcement while legislation moves through Olympia.
Ending: Officials asked for continued coordination between police, schools and parents and signaled opportunities for student testimony at legislative hearings.