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Residents press North Ridgeville officials for helmet and visibility rules for e-bikes
Summary
Multiple residents told the committee visibility and helmet requirements should be part of any e-bike ordinance; one resident relayed a vendor claim that some models can reach 57 mph, a point the committee did not verify.
Several residents urged the safety committee to include helmet mandates and visibility requirements in the ordinance covering e-bikes and scooters.
Alan Willoughby, who spoke during public comment, said the most critical step to preventing accidents is that riders be "noticed." He relayed a vendor account that some models were "capable of doing 57 miles per hour," and argued devices that exceed class‑3 speeds should be treated differently: "So by definition, they were not even e bikes ... It's a motorcycle, and it needs to be licensed."
Charlotte Cordovany described repeated dangerous encounters in her neighborhood — riders traveling on sidewalks at speed and failing to indicate turns — and called the behavior "very, very scary." Bruce Abens suggested a daytime visibility streamer attached above a rider's head for locations with poor sight lines. Committee members and staff raised enforceability concerns and emphasized that education should accompany any new rules.
