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Residents and chiefs urge education and outreach as e‑bike and scooter incidents increase on trails
Summary
Public commenters and chiefs described multiple near-miss incidents involving children on scooters and e-bikes; chiefs said a seminar attempt had low turnout and staff will pursue school outreach and county-level legislative options while enforcement remains constrained.
During public comment at the May 18 meeting, Kristen Troutman described repeated near-miss incidents involving children on scooters and e-bikes on trails and neighborhood streets and urged the township to expand education and enforcement.
"We had our grandkids over at the park...a little boy on a scooter, fortunately wearing a helmet, shot out from Golf Club Drive," Troutman said, recounting several incidents in the prior six to seven months. She suggested school assemblies or outreach to reach children directly.
Police and fire leadership said they share the concern and described a prior weekend seminar intended to reach parents and riders that had low turnout. Chiefs said they are exploring school outreach (literature or assemblies), working with traffic‑safety partners and monitoring county and state legislative efforts around scooters and e-bikes. The chiefs acknowledged enforcement limitations on trails and said they would pursue education-first approaches but might consider accountability measures if parents fail to act.
One resident suggested escalating penalties for repeat offenders, including impoundment and fines; chiefs called that approach "overreaching" but said they were examining options and coordinating with neighboring municipalities and the county.
Next steps: staff said they will reach out to school and county officials about possible outreach, track legislative developments, and explore additional avenues for education and enforcement.
