Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bartlett moves to draft local e‑bike rules after resident safety complaints
Summary
After a resident described unsafe e‑bike behavior downtown, Bartlett trustees directed staff to draft a local e‑bike ordinance—potentially tighter than state law—addressing sidewalk bans, helmet requirements for younger riders, speed limits and penalties, with referral to committee of the whole for further work.
The Bartlett Village Board on July 7 directed staff to draft a local electric‑bike ordinance in response to resident complaints about rider behavior and concerns about public safety.
A resident, John Quarter of 101 South Oak Avenue, told the board he has seen groups of e‑bike riders "blow the stop signs," perform wheelies and "they're going faster than the cars," and said riders often travel in packs downtown and in the park near his home. Quarter also raised a separate concern about large trucks cutting through residential streets in the early morning.
The chair told staff to prepare an ordinance to move forward sooner than the state's proposed effective date and suggested the village consider additions beyond the state minimums. The chair listed possible local provisions, including a prohibition on riding on sidewalks, bans on carrying passengers or a second rider, minimum age restrictions (speaker text cited "no persons under the age of 12 may operate" certain vehicles), helmet requirements for younger riders (the chair referenced "Riders under 18 or 16, depending on what is preferred"), limits on operation on roadways posted above 25 mph, required reflectors and lights at night, ban of gas‑powered minibikes, and a 25 mph cap for electric scooters. The chair also suggested graduated fines for repeat offenders and liability for parents or guardians of minors where permitted by law.
Board members and staff agreed to refer development of the ordinance to a committee of the whole for expedited review. Staff said they will gather comparative data and enforcement guidance (the chair suggested working with the police chief) before returning with a drafting recommendation. Trustees and residents raised practical questions about where e‑bikes should operate (sidewalk, lane, or roadway), how enforcement would be handled, and how to address audible warnings or detection for quieter electric motors.
Next steps: staff will prepare ordinance language for committee review and return to the board. The board did not adopt a local law at the meeting; it voted only to move forward with drafting and committee consideration.
