NORTH CANTON ‒ City police are warning parents and riders of motorized bikes that the vehicles may not be permitted on roads or sidewalks, depending on their type and how they are used. They are also encouraging their safe operation.
To drive the point home, the Police Department posted to its Facebook page a video of a collision between an electric dirt bike and a car that happened July 1 at South Main Street and Glenwood Street SE.
The 10-second video shows the bike traveling south on the sidewalk next to Main and into the crosswalk on Glenwood. There, it hits the front driver’s side fender of a red Mazda 6 that is turning right from Main onto Glenwood. After the impact, the recording shows the cyclist’s view: a jumble of asphalt and red car.
The 12-year-old North Canton boy who was riding the motorbike suffered minor injuries to his knees and legs, but was not taken to any medical facility, according to the police crash report. The 69-year-old Lake Township motorist was not injured.
“We got lucky,” Police Maj. Matthew Buzzard said.
The child was cited.
Buzzard said that late last year a 12-year-old who crashed a motorized bike into a utility pole suffered injuries that required hospital treatment.
“It’s more and more coming to our attention that it is a problem that needs addressed. So, we are going to be cracking down on that,” Buzzard said. “The Facebook post is just kind of educational to let parents know that, hey, we might be stopping little Susie or Johnny and bringing them home and explaining to you that the device they’re on is not allowed. We want safety of the kids and the pedestrians.”
The police post on social media says that nationwide, fatalities involving e-bikes and electric motorbikes have risen sharply over the past few years, with dozens of incidents reported annually.
“Right here in our own community, we’ve already documented four crashes involving juveniles and young adults operating motorbikes and e-bikes in an unsafe manner,” it says. “Two of those crashes were very serious, while the other two were less severe — but they easily could have been far worse.”
Police noted that under state law, a person may drive a bicycle, or an electric bicycle if the motor is not engaged, on a sidewalk. If the motor is on, it is considered illegal sidewalk operation.
With the motor engaged, e-bikes may be ridden on roads like other bicycles.
North Canton police posted an additional reminder that no bicycles, electric or otherwise, are permitted on the walking path at Price Park, with the sole exception of law enforcement officers performing official duties.
Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: North Canton police issue warning about use of motorized bikes in the city
Reporting by Nancy Molnar, Canton Repository / The Repository
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