Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the E Bikes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges Isle of Palms to restrict motorized e-bikes on narrow Waterway path
Summary
A resident asked the Public Services and Facilities Committee to consider an ordinance banning motorized e-bikes on the Waterway multipurpose path, citing measured widths of 5½–8 feet, national guidance for 10–14 feet when motorized cycles are allowed, and enforcement challenges.
Brenda Rosenthal, a resident at 3013 Waterway, told the committee on July 7 that the renovated Waterway shared-use path is too narrow to safely accommodate pedestrians, runners, conventional bicycles and high-speed e-bikes.
"The question facing the city of Isle Of Palms is not whether e bikes are good or bad, but rather it is whether an 8 foot shared use path can safely accommodate pedestrians, runners, children, conventional bicycles, and ebikes," Rosenthal said, noting she and a neighbor measured path widths of between 5½ and 8 feet in several blocks.
Rosenthal urged the city to adopt a proactive ordinance banning motorized vehicles, including certain e-bikes, from the path rather than waiting for an incident. She told the committee she had national guidance suggesting multipurpose paths that allow motorized cycles should be 10–14 feet wide and include a center line for two-way traffic.
City staff answered that the design goal for the Waterway project was an 8-foot continuous path but site constraints—DOT-required separations, trees and other obstructions—left limited sections narrower than 8 feet. "We wanted 8 feet. It just we were faced with, do you wanna start removing trees," a staff member said when explaining design tradeoffs.
Committee members discussed enforcement options and state limits on local authority. The chair noted neighboring jurisdictions have enforced wattage and age limits—citing a recent impoundment of 12 e-bikes at a local middle school—and said signage, speed limits and targeted enforcement were possible tools. Staff also raised that state law may restrict the city's ability to outright prohibit e-bikes under certain wattage and configuration thresholds.
The committee directed that the public-safety committee be kept informed and suggested staff bring language options for signage and potential regulatory or enforcement steps. No ordinance was introduced or voted on at the meeting; actions remain in the discussion and review stage.
