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Parma adopts e‑bike ordinance, council emphasizes education and helmet standards
Summary
Council adopted Ordinance 163‑25 to regulate electric bicycles in Parma, including a helmet requirement referencing ASTM/CPSC standards and sidewalk/pass‑by constraints; officials said police and schools will lead public education.
Parma City Council on Nov. 17 adopted Ordinance 163‑25 to add rules for electric bicycles to the city's traffic code, and committee members emphasized a community education push before enforcement.
The ordinance text referenced by committee members includes a helmet requirement: "no person shall operate or be a passenger on any class of electronic bicycle unless the person is wearing a protective helmet that meets the standards established by the Consumer Product Safety Commission [CPSC] and ASTM." A member of the committee noted that language is already included in the draft under revised Section 373.21.
Council discussion compared Parma’s draft to neighboring ordinances (Bay Village, Brook Park and others) and focused on how to handle low‑speed interactions on sidewalks. One councilmember noted Bay Village’s approach — asking riders to reduce speed to walking pace when passing pedestrians — while Parma’s draft required motor cutoff in similar circumstances. The mayor and police officials offered to help with public outreach: the safety director and a public‑information officer are prepared to translate legal language into plain‑language guidance for schools, social media and public materials.
Several committee members said they were comfortable voting the night of the meeting despite three absent council members, noting the desire to get consumer guidance in place before holiday shopping events. Council emphasized that the ordinance addresses only electric bicycles; scooters and mopeds will be handled separately.
Mayor DeGeeter said the city would work with police to break the ordinance into citizen‑facing language. "Whatever you pass, he's ready to put something together and disseminate that to the public," the mayor said referring to the safety director's offer to prepare public materials.
The ordinance was adopted by roll call that evening. Council directed the public safety department to coordinate education efforts with schools and community groups prior to active enforcement.
What’s next: Police and public information staff will prepare and distribute outreach materials; council said it could revisit technical language if police identify operational issues during enforcement.
