Ray Watford is a retired newspaper production director.
A few days ago, I was walking my dog on a path near Frank’s Park when a group of teenagers on electric bikes rushed toward us. One rider passed so close that if I had moved even a single step, we would have collided.
This happened on a path clearly marked with restrictions on motorized vehicles.
What stood out was not just the speed. It was the complete absence of caution. No slowing down, no warning, no courtesy. Just fast-moving machines cutting through a narrow pedestrian space as if walkers were expected to jump aside.
Scenes like this are becoming common across Central Ohio.
I am not a get-off-my-lawn type of guy. I like seeing young people outside instead of glued to screens. For many adults, especially older riders, pedal-assist bikes provide valuable exercise, mobility, and independence. E-bikes are not going away, nor should they.
But the rapid rise of high-speed electric bikes on sidewalks, walking trails and crowded park paths is creating a public safety problem that communities can no longer ignore.
The risks are growing quickly.
A matter of public safety
According to a 2026 report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were more than 155,000 e-bike-related emergency room visits nationwide between 2017 and 2024. This includes nearly 60,000 visits in 2024 alone, along with hundreds of deaths and tens of thousands of serious injuries such as fractures and head trauma. That national trend is now showing up on our local trails and sidewalks.
The issue is not the technology. It is the behavior, and increasingly, confusion over what these vehicles actually are.
Ohio law already draws a clear line.
The state uses a three-class system to distinguish between low-speed pedal-assist bicycles and higher-powered electric vehicles. Most Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are allowed on bike paths unless restricted locally. But many of the machines now showing up on local trails do not meet those definitions.
Some exceed state speed limits, lack functional pedals, and operate more like electric motorcycles. Under Ohio law, those vehicles require registration, licensing, and insurance.
In other words, not everything being ridden on a bike path is legally a bike.
Some Central Ohio communities are already responding. New Albany, for example, has adopted rules that set a low speed limit on shared-use paths, keep e-bikes off crowded pedestrian sidewalks, and hold riders and parents of minors accountable for reckless behavior. That kind of framework does not demonize e-bikes. It simply recognizes that pedestrians deserve to feel safe.
Rules must be enforced
Hilliard, which promotes its Safe Streets initiatives, should consider a similar, common-sense approach.
This is not about banning e-bikes. It is about enforcing the rules that already exist and clarifying the ones that do not. Communities should invest in better signage, public education on trail etiquette, and clear communication about Ohio’s e-bike classifications.
Riders need to slow down, give warning when passing, and respect pedestrians’ right-of-way.
Parents also need to recognize that some of these machines are not toys.
There is another reality quietly approaching: financial risk.
Ohio does not require insurance for standard e-bikes. If a pedestrian is seriously injured by a reckless, uninsured rider, the victim may be left with limited options for compensation. Lawmakers should consider whether liability coverage makes sense for higher-powered vehicles before that gap becomes a legal crisis.
Smart rules and consistent enforcement are the only ways to preserve public support for e-bikes over the long term.
If we wait until a child or a senior is seriously injured before taking action, the conversation will no longer be about courtesy or coexistence. It will be about why leaders failed to act when the warning signs were already there.
Ray Watford is a retired production director who worked for newspapers in Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: A kid on an e-bike nearly took me out. Let’s act before someone gets hurt | Opinion
Reporting by Ray Watford, Guest columnist / The Columbus Dispatch
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