New Castle council advances e-bike rules and lowers speed limit on South 17th Street

The New Castle City Council on Monday approved two local measures: it advanced Ordinance No. 3979, which would regulate the use and operation of e-bikes and other micro-mobility devices, and it adopted Ordinance No. 3980 to reduce the speed limit on South 17th Street to 20 mph.

Mayor York introduced Ordinance 3979 as a first reading and described it as a set of rules for e-bikes and similar devices. York said the ordinance aims to address safety concerns and support public education about device operation; a council member noted the need for infographics and outreach to users. "We're going to pass an ordinance to, basically, put some rules in place for e-bikes and other such devices," York said.

Council members also cited safety problems tied to low-quality electric bikes purchased from non-reputable sources, including fire risk. The ordinance was advanced on first reading and recorded unanimous aye votes on the roll call.

Later in the meeting, the council considered Ordinance 3980, an amendment to the municipal traffic schedule that reduces the posted speed limit on South 17th Street (I Avenue to A Avenue) to 20 miles per hour. The council discussed that the change had been considered previously and then voted to adopt the amendment; the vote was recorded as unanimous.

Separately, the council announced it would defer the public-hearing second reading for Ordinance 3978 to the first meeting in August because of advertising constraints.

Both the micro-mobility ordinance (first reading) and the speed-limit amendment will return to the council with any required further readings or procedural steps before final implementation if applicable.