Fredonia wrestling with regulating e-bikes, scooters

The Village of Fredonia has joined the growing number of communities wrestling with e-bikes.

Given the “explosion of electric-powered personal transport devices” and communities looking at how to address them across the state, trustees Richard Abegglen and Eric Stowe asked Village Marshal Eric Leet if the village ordinance was up to date.

“Looking at our ordinances, we were not,” Leet said. “We noticed a few things both in our current ordinance definitions, even in regards to bicycles, that were out of date.”

There was no reference to electric bikes and scooters.

As Leet was reviewing the draft, a bike that looks like a scooter was brought to his attention, but the manufacturer added a seat, which takes it out of any category.

“There is no way that we can craft an ordinance, just like state law hasn’t managed to, that’s going to cover every possible one of these things,” he said.

Regular bicycles, e-bikes and scooters, are allowed on the roadway but must follow the same rules as vehicles.

“Where we did have the option to look at was in terms of sidewalk and public space operation — bike paths, parking lots and stuff like that,” he said.

State statutes and Fredonia’s ordinance have some disagreements. The village ordinance doesn’t allow a person older than 12 to ride a bike on the sidewalk, but under state law no one may ride a bike on a sidewalk unless the community makes an exception, “and we didn’t have that language in there.

“So we took a look at this as an opportunity to just update everything,” Leet said.

The six-page updated ordinance allows e-bikes with a top speed of 20 mph that can be throttle-powered without pedaling or by pedal assist on sidewalks, but not e-bikes with a top speed of 28 mph that require pedaling to engage the motor, and riders of the latter must be at least 16 years old.

Speeds are not to be “unreasonable or imprudent under the circumstances.”

The bikes don’t have speedometers, Leet said, so speed limits weren’t feasible.

The village may prohibit the use of bikes on certain sidewalks, parks or pedestrian areas.

Any standard the board sets, Leet said, will “get no argument from me.”

Regardless of what the board decides, the updated ordinance updates the tools and “gives us a new and welcome one to deal with the problems.”

The board got its first look at the ordinance on Sept. 3. It may amend and approve the ordinance on Thursday, Sept. 17. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the Fredonia Government Center, 242 Fredonia Ave.