BERKLEY, Mich. — Berkley is now enforcing a ban on electric bikes, e-motos, and similar devices on city sidewalks and in parks, as several southeast Michigan municipalities move to regulate the growing use of electric personal transportation.
See the full story in the video below
The ordinance, passed by Berkley City Council in August, took effect September 16. Lt. Andrew Hadfield of Berkley Public Safety said the goal is to get ahead of potential safety problems.
"We want to try and get ahead of it before it becomes a problem," Hadfield said.
Hadfield said officers are focused on education before issuing citations.
"I just talked with a kid about riding his bike on the sidewalk down Coolidge while he was doing a wheely on his electric bike. So, a lot of it's going to be education for awhile," Hadfield said.
WATCH Megan's report here:
He said the main goal is to keep everyone safe.
"If the kids want to ride them, they should be doing it safely in the street," Hadfield said.
Berkley is not the only community taking action. Bloomfield Township passed a temporary ban this week prohibiting anyone under 16 from riding e-bikes and e-scooters on sidewalks for the next 6 months. Village leaders in Beverly Hills have also placed strict guidelines on motorized bikes.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said local governments are acting because the state has not.
"They're trying to do something because the state has not," Bouchard said.
Bouchard is calling for action at the state level.
"The state legislature really needs to put better, and more understandable guidelines and parameters on e bikes and e motos and I think that needs to happen sooner or later," Bouchard said.
The push for regulation follows a summer of serious incidents. Police investigated a deadly e-bike crash in Ferndale in June. Two teens were seriously injured on an e-moto on Telegraph on Labor Day. Several other incidents involving motorized devices were also reported.
Cyclists in the area say they support safety measures. Richard Keidan, a cyclist from West Bloomfield, said there is room for everyone on the road with the right rules in place.
"I think that there's a place for automobiles, there's a place for cars, a place for e bikes, and it's a matter of getting safety regulations enforces so everyone can be out enjoy themselves and be safe," Keidan said.
David Contorer of Royal Oak echoed that sentiment.
"I think e bikes are great just like Richard said, there's a time and a place for them. But they defiantly should be some legislation in place to make sure 13-year-olds are not riding something that goes 30-40 miles per hour," Contorer said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
