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Chatham Police roll out education-first e‑bike safety program; phased enforcement planned
Summary
Police Chief Brian Givens and traffic safety officer Kyle Cerniak described an education‑first e‑bike and scooter safety effort with school and business outreach, helmet and reflector promotion, social media, and tracked warnings before enforcement; officers reported about 40 education interactions in three details so far.
Chatham Borough Police Chief Brian Givens updated the council on a measured, community‑oriented program to address rising e‑bike and e‑scooter use. The initiative emphasizes education, partnerships with schools and local businesses, and a phased enforcement approach: warnings and tracked contacts for compliance first, then enforcement for repeat offenders.
Traffic safety Officer Kyle Cerniak said the department has run three educational details (Aug. 21, Aug. 22, and a middle‑school detail) and logged roughly 40 interactions with children and riders focused on helmet use, lawful riding, and staying off sidewalks. "So far with those 3 details, we've had about 40 interactions with different children..." Cerniak said. Chief Givens noted partnerships in development with the school district, emergency squad, and fire department for joint education and potential mock‑trauma training; he also said a future full training presentation and PowerPoint to the council is planned.
The police intend to encourage safe riding with rewards (ice‑cream tickets), distribute educational flyers at local businesses, and roll out a patrol‑bicycle program to increase on‑the‑ground outreach; helmets for children and required reflectors/lamps for riders were highlighted as enforceable standards after education.
