Committee weighs banning off-highway e-motorcycles from public ways and discusses enforcement and parental liability

A major thread of the committee's discussion on July 21 focused on off-highway electric motorcycles (commonly described as e-motos) and e-scooter safety, with staff recommending municipalities may restrict off-highway motorcycles and committee members exploring how to balance safety, enforcement capacity and recreational access.

Staff described off-highway motorcycles as distinct from legal e-bikes because they typically feature motors/batteries above the 750-watt ebike threshold and may be banned from public trails and sidewalks under the state classification. "These are the e dirt bikes, the e motors... we would recommend adopting that entire statute," a staff member said, and committee members agreed restricting such vehicles on roads, trails and sidewalks was a sensible regulatory response.

Members discussed possible speed limits for sidewalks/recreation trails, noting enforcement will be largely reactive because the police department is short-staffed. Suggestions included restricting e-scooters to roads posted 25 mph or slower and considering speed limits or signage on trails and sidewalks to set expectations. Staff also proposed a parental-liability option for younger riders who violate ordinance provisions, and committee members discussed raising the age for parental responsibility to as high as 16 to reflect the growing cost of devices and the desire to engage parents in supervision.

Chief Westfall said staff will continue to track quantifiable incident data and reported two minor bicycle crashes and one vehicle collision involving an ebike since the last meeting; staff said they will return with data as they compile it. The committee directed staff to draft ordinance language incorporating the discussed restrictions, enforcement realities and penalty options for committee review at a future meeting.