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Brentwood students urge education, speed limits and short licensing course to reduce e‑bike injuries
Summary
Students from Brentwood High and Youth Leadership Brentwood presented an e‑bike safety video and urged education, a short online licensing module and local speed limits (about 15 mph on mixed‑use trails) to reduce high‑speed e‑bike injuries. Commissioners thanked the students and discussed how to integrate the material into schools and parks.
Brentwood High School students and a Youth Leadership Brentwood team presented an e‑bike safety video and data to the Brentwood City Commission on Feb. 23, urging education and modest regulation to reduce injuries.
"Our goal is to make the streets and trails of Brentwood safer for everybody," said Lynn Tucker, director of Youth Leadership Brentwood, introducing the group's video and project. Student presenters from Brentwood High described creating the piece after the recent death of a classmate and said they aimed to make an educational, not sensational, film.
Students and faculty sponsor Sloan Ashworth cited data during the presentation, saying e‑bike hospitalization rates were "over 15 percent higher" than for regular bicycles. Presenters proposed a mix of steps: targeted advocacy to parents and teens, short virtual safety modules to earn a local license, general helmet-and-road‑rules education, and a 15‑mph speed guideline for mixed‑use trails to reduce high‑speed crashes.
Patty Schultz, a resident who spoke during public comment, asked the commission to ensure policy accounts for pedal‑assist e‑bikes used by older riders, noting that assist makes hilly paths accessible for seniors. "For people like me, 77, that pedal assist makes it possible to use all the bike paths," she said.
Several commissioners praised the youth work. Commissioner Travis said peers may listen more to students than to adults, and Commissioner Garris recommended showing the videos in elementary and middle schools. Vice Mayor Little and the mayor thanked the students for approaching a sensitive issue constructively.
The presentations prompted discussion of possible next steps—education in schools and parks, clearer communication about categories of e‑bikes, and pilot speed limits on select mixed‑use trails—rather than immediate regulatory action. The commission did not vote on specific policy changes at the meeting.
The commission moved on to other agenda items; commissioners said they would address the students' recommendations during future meetings and within existing parks and public‑safety planning.
