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Police report: e-bike complaints focused on juvenile riding, staff recommends education and enforcement
Summary
Cloverdale police presented an e-bike and e-scooter survey showing most problematic riders are juveniles; the department emphasized education, school coordination and targeted enforcement, and council discussed ordinances, training and a possible youth safety pilot.
Chief Parker presented survey findings and enforcement experience to the Cloverdale City Council on March 11, reporting that most local incidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters involve juveniles, and that the department has used education and targeted enforcement to address problems.
The chief summarized state classifications (Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes), legal distinctions for scooters (driver license or permit required for e-scooters), and recent or proposed statutory changes that will require clearer labeling of e-bike classes by July 1. Locally, the police logged several collisions (four e-bike collisions, two e-scooter collisions over the searchable period) and said roughly 370 stops for various violations occurred during the timeframe examined. The department has used traffic operations at Washington School, parent contact, confiscations and citations as enforcement tools; the chief said education — including safety classes delivered by an SRO — was a central strategy.
Council members suggested regional coordination on model ordinances, targeted outreach to high-school and middle-school students, and establishing safe riding spaces or skate‑park areas. The student liaison and other speakers urged sensitivity to student safety and later start times for any open-container entertainment policies to reduce overlap with school dismissal.
No new ordinance was adopted; council members directed staff to continue collaborative outreach with schools, consider pilot education programs, and consult with neighboring jurisdictions and the police chiefs’ association on consistent approaches.
Next steps: staff will continue enforcement and education efforts, coordinate with school officials on campus rules (school bans for e-bikes/e-scooters were suggested) and explore local ordinance options consistent with state law.
