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Board directs staff to draft park‑ordinance changes for e‑bikes and e‑scooters, prioritizes helmet rule
Summary
After extensive discussion of safety and enforceability, the board asked staff to draft ordinance language defining e‑bikes and e‑scooters, requiring helmets, limiting higher‑powered devices from sensitive park areas and clarifying where powered devices may operate.
Upper Allen Township staff and board members spent an extended portion of the meeting debating how to update the park ordinance to address e‑bikes, e‑scooters and single‑wheel devices. Staff recommended aligning definitions with PennDOT and with nearby municipalities and proposed limits such as allowing powered devices on paved trails while prohibiting them in playgrounds and court areas. Lieutenant Brian Barnes of the police department told the board that state law currently treats many of these devices as vehicles and warned, “by nature of them existing, they’re technically a vehicle,” a point used to underscore the enforcement challenges local police face.
Board members emphasized public‑safety goals and pragmatic enforcement tools. They agreed on several near‑term recommendations for staff to draft: add an e‑bike/ e‑scooter definition consistent with state guidance, require helmets for powered device riders, require yielding to pedestrians on shared paths, and restrict higher‑powered or non‑pedal devices from sensitive park zones. A motion to develop formal recommendations passed; staff will return with proposed ordinance language for the commissioners to consider.
