In 30 minutes, the average person could read between 12-15 pages of a book, or get a start on their math homework. But ever since e-bikes were banned in the district, for freshman Cullen Kemp, that 30 minutes is spent trying to get home.
“Sometimes I’m unable to get a ride home from school because my sister has practice after school, and I have to walk home,” Kemp said. “It’s about a 30 minute walk.”
E-bike riders in the district are now required to have a driver’s license and a permit issued from the city in order to ride an e-bike. Additionally, anyone under 21 is required to wear a helmet to help ensure rider safety.
“The City Council passed this ordinance expanding the regulations surrounding electric bicycle operation to ensure the safety of everyone in the community,” University Park’s Marketing and Multimedia Coordinator Abigail Mancini said.
In addition to a driver’s license, a permit from the city to ride, and the 16 or older age requirement, e-bikers can be ticketed for not following traffic rules the same way cars are.
“UPPD officers will continue issuing citations as they did prior to the new ordinance, with no changes to enforcement practices. The updated citations and fines have been established by the UP Municipal Court to align with the new ordinance,” Mancini said. “The primary difference is that the citations now reflect the updated regulations. As always, UPPD officers will require probable cause to stop an e-bike operator.”
So far, the police have had a favorable response from the community regarding the new ordinances surrounding e-bike usage.
“The police department has received positive feedback on the new [University Park] ordinance,” Mancini said. “They have issued a handful of permits so far, and overall residents seem to be pleased with the ordinance and are happy to comply.”
Business at JD’s Chippery, a bakery on the corner of Daniel and Hillcrest in the under-construction zones of Snider Plaza hasn’t seemed to slow down even with the regulations and construction surrounding the bakery.
“ I think that construction, parking, and bikes are all very separate,” employee Amy Broad said. “Most of the people that we see on [regular] bikes are usually younger kids, and so I don’t really feel like it interferes with parking or construction.”
All over, e-bikes have become a rarer sighting in the city since the start of the year, when the ordinances took effect, and have become virtually nonexistent on the middle school campus, where previous riders are now too young to operate one.
“The middle school students are complying with the city ordinance,” Mancini said. “Since Jan 1. at HPMS, no students have ridden an e-bike to school.”
Despite the positive response from the community, the new ordinance has removed a method of transport for students under 16, who now may struggle in getting to and from school, extracurriculars, sports and even just daily errands or chores.
“ It has profoundly affected my ability to transport myself from school and home,” Kemp said. “It’s more of an inconvenience for my parents and me because I can’t leave on my own time. I have to coordinate with other people so it can either disrupt the whole hangout or again, also like for practices, I have to coordinate with my parents.”
Kemp used to use his e-bike on a daily basis to get to and from school, as well to hang out after school when his old bike fell apart.
“The reason I got an e-bike is because my regular bike broke and the wheel fell off like whenever I’m doing hangouts or something, I have to either walk or get a ride,” Kemp said.
Now, e-bike riders under 16 or without driver’s license must get another ride, wait, or fill out all the requirements. For the city, though, these requirements are worth it to improve the safety of e-bike riders and the cars and pedestrians they share the road and sidewalks with.
“[City council] made an informed decision following information and presentations from the University Park Police Department,” Mancini said. “E-bike regulations are not on any upcoming agendas at this time. They are here to stay.”
