Palm Beach has officially adopted age and ID requirements for e-bikes and other electric mobility devices after new state laws allowed greater local regulation of their use.
At its Oct. 14 meeting at Town Hall, the Town Council unanimously approved a trio of ordinances that extend restrictions on the use of bicycles, e-bikes and e-scooters on public sidewalks and roads and set age and identification standards for riders.
The new rules ban most electronic mobility devices from sidewalks, trails, and the Lake Trail; require riders to carry government-issued identification; and prohibit anyone under 15 from operating these devices in public areas.
Gov. Ron DeSantis in July signed into law a bill that gave municipalities greater authority to regulate electric mobility devices, enabling the town to set age and ID rules, offer safety training programs, and update statutory definitions for micromobility.
Micromobility devices are small, lightweight vehicles typically used for short-distance transportation. These include electric scooters, electric bikes, electric skateboards, hoverboards and Segways.
These devices are “increasingly present on public streets, sidewalks, and pedestrian areas within the town,” Police Chief Nick Caristo wrote in an Aug. 18 memo to Town Manager Kirk Blouin and council members. “To promote public safety and compliance with state law, staff recommend the town council adopt an ordinance regulating their use.”
Caristo presented his concerns to the Town Council at their August meeting, seeking direction on how to lessen dangers for both riders and the community.
He told the council that some of the devices can reach speeds of up to 28 mph, posing risks to riders and the public.
“Talking with other municipalities, it’s a big concern for safety reasons,” he said, noting recent fatalities in Miami and Jupiter and a crash involving a juvenile in Palm Beach Gardens. “In 2023 in Palm Beach County alone, there were like 27 trauma cases in the hospital regarding e-bikes.”
Accidents involving electric mobility devices have occurred on the island, including one in November 2023 when a 14-year-old boy riding a motorized scooter on the Lake Trail was knocked unconscious after he fell off the device and hit his head on the ground.
In October 2022, a woman was injured when she fell off her scooter after swerving to avoid crashing into her son. She sustained minor injuries.
One of the three amended ordinances bans all electronic mobility devices — except those used by people with physical impairments as well as members of the town’s police and fire departments — from all public sidewalks and trails, expanding a previous ban that applied only to bicycles, e-bikes, and e-scooters in commercial zoning districts.
Another ordinance makes it illegal for any person under the age of 15 to operate a micromobility device on any public street, sidewalk, park, path, or other right-of-way within the town.
It also requires a valid government-issued identification card while operating the device, and launches training programs focused on the safe operation of micromobility devices and compliance with applicable state and local laws.
A current state law that requires children younger than age 16 to wear helmets while riding e-bikes continues to apply.
The third ordinance updates existing town law by prohibiting micromobility devices and motor- or animal-drawn vehicles on the Lake Trail, while allowing exceptions for police, public works, or permitted vehicles. Wheelchairs and mobility devices used by people with disabilities remain exempt.
Town officials called the legislation a step forward in improving community safety, but council member Julie Araskog said parents should continue talking with their children about speeding and the importance of wearing helmets.
“A lot of people speeding on bikes don’t have helmets, even if they’re 16 or 17,” she said. “I just ask you all, please talk to your children. We’ve seen deaths now recently, and we just treasure our residents and our children. I hope that parents will really come together and slow those children down and also have them wear helmets.”
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach gives final approval to age and ID requirements for e-bikes, other electric devices
Reporting by Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
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