Owensboro police urge clearer classifications for e-bikes and scooters to improve safety and enforcement

Sergeant Derek Griffin of the Owensboro Police Department's traffic unit told the City Commission the department is seeing an increasing number of electric bicycles, scooters and throttle‑powered devices on streets, sidewalks and parks and that current city and state definitions leave enforcement unclear. "When you look at this, the one thing that we really hit on, the one thing that we kind of bolded out here, the one thing that we really hit on, it's primarily powered by humans," Griffin said, explaining why throttle‑powered vehicles do not meet the bicycle definition.

Griffin walked commissioners through the practical differences — pedal‑assist versus throttle‑powered devices — and a federal three‑class ebike framework other jurisdictions have adopted. He said the class system (class 1–3) helps set speed and operational rules and cited examples of neighboring jurisdictions that included the framework in local ordinances.

The briefing identified several enforcement challenges: distinguishing devices that are primarily human powered from those that are not, applying age and roadway rules, enforcing park trail restrictions and addressing insurance gaps for higher‑powered devices. Officers are currently using bicycle statutes where possible, Griffin said, but that approach leaves some higher‑speed, throttle‑powered vehicles effectively unregulated on the city's streets and trails.

Commissioners and Griffin discussed practical fixes, including a local classification ordinance, age or insurance requirements, and targeted park restrictions. The city manager said staff will research ordinance language and legal constraints and return with recommendations "sometime late summer, likely in the two or three months" for commission consideration.

No formal ordinance was introduced at the meeting; the presentation was framed as an initial briefing to inform later draft regulations.