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Public comments prompt council to direct attorney to draft e-bike ordinance and education plan
Summary
Residents described near-miss incidents with e-bikes on shared trails and urged local rules; council asked staff to compile sample ordinances, consider classification of e-bike levels, and have the city attorney draft an ordinance for council review, aiming for possible action next spring.
Multiple residents urged the council to address safety concerns about e-bikes and scooters on trails and sidewalks during public comment. Cindy Roberts Cotton said she was caught off-guard by a fast-moving rider and worried such encounters could cause serious injury: "I barely knew that he was behind me," she told the council.
A local rider and trail user explained common passing etiquette and described three e-bike classifications—level 1 (pedal assist, up to about 20 mph), level 2 (up to about 28 mph) and level 3 (which the speaker said resembles an electric motorcycle). The speaker urged that any ordinance consider those distinctions and include educational components; "the ordinance doesn't discuss the different levels at all, and I think that's an important thing," the speaker said.
Council members directed staff to collect sample ordinances (including the Bellevue example mentioned in the meeting), work with the city attorney on legal limits—particularly accessibility considerations tied to case law—and return with draft language and an education plan. Staff estimated it would be a few months before the attorney returns draft language, with the council hoping to have an ordinance in place by spring.
