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Council to revisit proposed e‑bike rules after safety input from police and residents
Summary
After testimony from an e‑bike rider, a transportation planner and a state motorist association representative — and at the police chief’s request — the council tabled an ordinance that would regulate e‑bike use and directed staff to consider broader bicycle provisions and public education.
The Borough Council tabled Ordinance 2025‑10, a proposed amendment to the vehicles and traffic chapter aimed at regulating e‑bikes, so the police chief can review recommended changes and the council can incorporate education measures.
Council members said the chief asked for a more comprehensive review that could include bicycle provisions in addition to e‑bike rules. An attendee who identified himself as a longtime e‑bike rider urged the council to pair regulation with education; “increase awareness is the key term,” he told the meeting. Steve Carellis, who identified himself as head of a state chapter of the National Motors Association, said he supported measures that treat e‑bike users with the same situational‑awareness expectations as motorists and recommended penalties that go beyond helmet violations.
Transportation planner Tan Tul said he does not oppose regulation but cautioned that many e‑bike users are teenagers who may not be able to afford steep fines; he urged the council to provide safer spaces for youth to ride (citing the borough’s complete‑streets policy) and to consider graduated penalties tied to education. Council members agreed that the ordinance should be combined with an education program and that the chief’s input would improve draft language.
What happens next: The council voted to table the ordinance to allow the chief and staff to draft a more comprehensive approach, including potential changes to bicycle provisions, an education strategy and revised enforcement fines.
