Twinsburg police outline phased e‑bike safety, education and enforcement plan

City police told Twinsburg City Council on May 12 that a new, phased initiative will focus first on education and outreach for electric bicycles and higher‑powered electric motorcycles and later on enforcement and ordinance language. Chief Mason said the department has seen a rise in motorized devices and stressed that many of the vehicles reported to police are electric motorcycles rather than the lower‑powered e‑bikes commonly intended for sidewalks or bike lanes. "If it doesn't have pedals, it's an e motorcycle," Chief Mason said, adding some models can exceed 55 mph and are not equipped to be legally ridden on streets by unlicensed or underage riders.

Lieutenant Waltz described materials produced for officers and the public, including laminated officer guides, a Together Twinsburg project page with links and a Q&A feature, and school‑district distribution. "We created a guide for our officers," Lieutenant Waltz said. He said the department also is using social media and the city’s communications channels and that Officer Encarnacion developed clear, shareable informational graphics for the campaign.

Councilmembers asked whether the city is aligned with neighboring jurisdictions and whether helmets and other equipment will be required. In response, Lieutenant Waltz and Chief Mason said the city is reviewing state law (the Ohio Revised Code) and current city ordinances; they told council that helmet rules for some device classes are derived from state law and that staff are considering how to present helmet guidance and any additional local requirements. "One of the things we are looking at is implementing for all e‑bikes is helmet," Lieutenant Waltz said.

Police emphasized the initiative will begin with education — contacting parents when juveniles are involved and documenting those contacts — while city staff work with the law director to draft ordinance language for future council review. The department also described plans for school safety talks, possible safety courses, and bicycle demonstrations.

The council did not take action on an ordinance at the meeting; the law director was asked to prepare legislation for future consideration. The presentation materials and the project page are available on Together Twinsburg, the city’s online projects page.