WPD cracking down on e-bikes and scooters

WESTFIELD — Because there is hardly a street in the city where an e-bike or scooter can't be seen zipping around, often recklessly, the Police Department has started cracking down and stopping those who flout the regulations to keep the driving public and the riders safe, and, in some cases, even confiscating them.

"We don't want to take the bikes from people, but we also want to keep them safe and we want to keep everyone else who's on the road safe as well," said Sgt. Juanita Mejias, the director of the department's Traffic Bureau, adding that the bikes and scooters can be held at the police station for up to 20 days.

Over the last two years, the number of e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-skateboards sharing the state's streets and roads with cars and trucks has exploded partly because of a new state program that provides a voucher of up to $1,200 for e-bike purchases with the state's long-term goal of reducing greenhouse emissions to zero and decreasing road congestion.

The goals are laudable, Mejias said, but state laws haven't kept up as e-bikes and scooters have become faster and more dangerous.

"Right now, there's a state law where there's no e-bikes on sidewalks, but there is nothing that regulates these new scooters and bikes that are coming out that operate above 45 miles an hour," said Mejias.

So, until the state catches up, the city is having to step in with local ordinances.

"We are currently working to build an ordinance to regulate those vehicles within our city," she said.

The new emphasis on enforcement, Mejias said, was because of a "recent uptick in crashes involving vulnerable users," which are e-bike riders and pedestrians.

"We're just trying to bring awareness to not only the riders, who tend to be teenagers, but their parents and guardians, because they are responsible for them," she said.

One sure way to have an e-bike or e-scooter confiscated is to be caught popping wheelies or swerving through traffic, she said.

But all too often, she said, just hours after a confiscated bike is returned to its owner, officers are dealing with it again.

The department is also towing some types of motorized bikes because they must be registered just like a vehicle or motorcycle.

Mejias also had advice for motorists who spot a rider being unsafe. She said if you decide to call the police, provide an accurate description of the operator, the type and color of the machine and in which direction they appear to be heading.

"The more information that you can provide is always going to help us. And most important, don't engage with them," she said.

"We're not trying to kill the fun, we're just trying to keep the riders from getting killed," Mejias said.

The state regulations that define the two classes of bikes are nearly identical, Mejias said.

A Class I e-bike has an electric-powered motor that is only engaged with pedaling.

A Class II e-bike, which can be pedaled, usually includes a throttle to control the engine's power.

And both must also have fully functional pedals.

While incrementally different, there is one regulation involving both — neither should be able to travel more than 20 mph, Mejias said.

But there are other classes of bikes that can easily reach speeds of more than 20 mph, which trigger state regulations that must be followed by operators.

While the major complaint is the speed of the bikes, Mejias said complaints are also made about the bikes being operated on sidewalks.

Class I and Class II e-bikes and scooters are allowed on any city sidewalk, but not in the business district that extends from North Elm Street south, through downtown on Elm Street and on Main Street to the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail bridge.

However, e-bikes or scooters that exceed 20 mph are not allowed on any city sidewalk, Mejias said.

"Those bikes and scooters must be operated on the road just like any other vehicle," she said.

They must also be registered like a vehicle, the operator must have a driver's license, and when riding, wear a DOT-approved helmet, she said.

She said it was easy to identify one of the e-bikes that don't fit into the first two classes; they often don't have pedals.

Another issue with e-bikes, even those that would fit into the two classes is that the speed limiter can be overridden, which is against state law.

She warned parents who might purchase an e-bike for a child to monitor the bike to make sure it's not modified.

And to remember to follow state law about the age of the operator, she said.

No one under 18 is allowed to operate an e-bike.

There is always the worry of a vehicle colliding with a bike of any type, but Mejias wanted residents to know it is only occasionally that a vehicle strikes a bike or e-bike.

"It's the other way around. It's usually the biker that runs into a vehicle," she said.

For more information on e-bikes and where you can ride them, check out MassBike a www.massbike.org/ebikes .

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