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Police to prioritize education, then enforcement, on e-bikes and electric motorcycles
Summary
Council heard a safety briefing from the police chief on electric bicycles and electric motorcycles: e-bikes with motors 750 watts or less and pedals are treated like bicycles; vehicles exceeding that threshold are electric motorcycles requiring registration and a motorcycle endorsement. The department will begin with education and escalate to citations if warnings are ignored.
Councilmember Chris Larson introduced safety concerns about the growing presence of electric motorcycles and high-powered e-bikes in neighborhoods. Police Chief McKimben told the council state rules distinguish electric assisted bicycles (motor 750 watts or less with pedals) from electric motorcycles. "An electric assisted bicycle has to have a motor of 750 watts or less and have operating pedals," he said; vehicles that do not meet that description are subject to motorcycle requirements including title, registration, insurance and a driver's license with an M endorsement, and helmet rules for operators under 18.
The chief said the department will start with education: officers are warning riders and contacting parents when juveniles are involved. He warned that repeated infractions will result in citations and that some infractions can have lasting licensing consequences for minors. Council members asked whether the state guidance and the DMV-derived flowchart staff provided would be adequate for local public education and whether local code changes would be needed; the chief said the state framework is usable and that further local restrictions could be considered if education and warnings prove insufficient.
