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We're not sure if it's a majority or a minority, but it's clear there is a vocal segment of Jamestown residents who don't like the proliferation of e-bikes and other personal mobility devices in the city.
The issue came up again during last week's City Council committee meetings and work session. Residents' complaints aren't without merit.
We would have thought the state Legislature would have taken steps to clear up some of this mess over the past couple of years, but despite dozens of pieces of legislation being introduced over the past couple of years little has been done. Legislation announced Wednesday would prohibit retailers from selling certain devices capable of going more than 20 mph, but who knows if the bill sponsored by state Sen. Kristin Gonzalez and Assemblywoman Diana Moreno will fare any better when the state legislative session begins in January.
Mayor Kim Ecklund said last week that city officials are working on a city-specific policy that could provide some clarity. That will help, but as we've consistently said over the years a policy or a local law is only as good as our ability to enforce it. And with no disrespect to the Jamestown Police Department, we don't have enough police officers to enforce e-bike rules and regulations to the level expected by the vocal segment of city residents speaking out against e-bikes and other personal mobility devices.
"”We can enforce it, it’s just a matter of how much we can enforce it,” Scott Forster, city police chief, said last week. “We do enforce it right now on both e-bikes, e-scooters, regular bikes, everything, it’s just a matter of how much it can be enforced, and that’s all dependent on how many calls and what the officers are doing at the time. Honestly, so much of it is catching them while it’s happening.”
Too many of the e-bikes seen in Jamestown are being ridden at 30-35 miles an hour and often being ridden unsafely. Riders too often are weaving in and out of traffic, not obeying traffic devices and being ridden either on the wrong side of the road or, comically, the wrong way down one-way streets. Children on bicycles have to wear helmets, but there is no helmet requirement for what is basically a low-speed motorcycle. Those are legitimate safety concerns.
The bigger issue, though, is that too many of Jamestown's roads simply aren't built for two lanes of traffic, street parking and now personal mobility devices that move with the speed of vehicular traffic. That's why Safe Streets for All is such an important project. City residents' frustration with personal mobility devices can't be solved entirely with punitive measures. There is a measure of coexistence with this new form of transportation that has to be reached as well – and that will take time.