Rexburg staff, police and council discuss enforcement and education for high-speed electric bikes and dirt bikes

City staff told the council on June 17 that complaints about electric-wheeled vehicles — typically motorized dirt bikes and throttle-driven units sold online — have increased, with juveniles sometimes riding these machines on sidewalks and through subdivisions at high speed.

City Attorney Spencer and staff explained the legal framework: Idaho statute distinguishes electric bicycles (which generally are pedal-assist devices and can be subject to different age and sidewalk rules) from motorized dirt bikes that function as motor vehicles and thus require licensing, registration or off-highway designation if used on private property or designated areas. Staff described cases where officers impounded bikes after riders eluded patrol and where sidewalk collisions produced injuries; they warned that many devices on the market are not legally ebikes and can exceed 40–60 mph in some models.

Staff proposed a three-step approach: (1) clarify terminology and the statutory distinctions so enforcement and the public share a common understanding, (2) coordinate enforcement with police and run a public-information effort targeting parents and students (schools and social media outreach), and (3) enforce existing laws consistently, with law-enforcement discretion to impound vehicles, cite juvenile operators for unlawful motor-vehicle operation and require parental response. Council members favored immediate emphasis on enforcement and education and asked staff to meet with police leadership, prepare outreach materials (flyers/school briefings) and return with results after the summer.

City staff noted other jurisdictions (Nampa, Boise) have done combined education-and-enforcement campaigns and recommended Rexburg follow that model before drafting local ordinance changes restricting ebike use on sidewalks or setting age limits.