The City of Marion plans to create new regulations for electric bikes and scooters after some citizens complained about children riding recklessly in Marion’s neighborhoods.
Marion City Law Director Mark Russell said the law can’t keep up with the different kinds of electric devices such as skateboards, scooters and bikes.
“If we take a step back, technology is far out ahead of what the standard controls are that we all may recall when we were growing up,” Russell said.
Bill Dichtl, 6th Ward city council member, described seeing children under 10 years old riding the bikes and one time seeing a child as young as two or three riding in the lap of another child on an e-bike.
“I was shocked,” Ditchl said. “You know, we’re not anti-kid, it’s nothing like that. We’re happy to see kids outside and playing instead of sitting there watching video games. But somebody’s going to get hurt.”
Now, Russell plans to propose legislation to a city council committee in early May to revise city code to deal with e-bikes and scooters.
One of the challenges with regulation is enforcing the restrictions. In Russell’s research, he’s found other municipalities have regulated electric vehicles by imposing speed limits, such as keeping the device under 10 mph. But Russell said police can’t be watching every sidewalk.
“They can’t be everywhere monitoring the speed of them,” Russell said. “So I’m trying to find a better fit for us than putting in the element of operating the device at a speed greater than 10 miles an hour. Our law enforcement can’t be tasked with that additional element of determining speed. So I’m trying to keep it more simple.”
Other ways the law could be enforced is through the age of the operator, requiring a license or regulating where they are used. Russell is still drafting the legislation he hopes to propose.
Medical director warns of serious injuries for unprotected riders
Matthew White, medical director of emergency services at OhioHealth Marion General Hospital, warned of the injuries that e-bikes and scooters can cause, including wrist and forearm injuries and more serious head injuries.
“If the person that’s involved in the accident is not wearing a helmet, those can be much more significant,” White said. “So wearing a helmet is really best practice. I think it’s a necessity, really, if you’re operating these, especially if something moves so fast.”
Dichtl has heard complaints from residents in his ward of children riding in the street or speeding on the sidewalk, endangering pedestrians.
“They ride along with traffic,” Ditchtl said. “They don’t look where they’re going. They go through the stop sign. I know a couple of people have complained that they either almost hit one of the kids or the kids almost hit them.”
While Dichtl doesn’t think there’s ill intent on the part of the children, he does see a need for safety training or regulations.
White has seen some injuries caused by cars hitting children while they’re riding. He advised parents limit the speed of the device as the child is learning, ensure children are wearing protective equipment like helmets, wrist guards and knee pads, and don’t allow children to ride in the dark.
“I think the younger kids are just less experienced and may not be familiar with some of the bicycle laws and some of the other safety things,” White said. “So when they’re inexperienced, I think that’s what contributes to that, and certainly if they’re smaller, some of the injuries that we see of other cars that may actually hit them.”
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion considers new e-bike rules for child safety
Reporting by Abby Bammerlin, Marion Star / Marion Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
