St. Johns County releases stricter version of proposed e-bike safety law
Action News Jax told you at the start of the month when we got an initial draft of the newly proposed law to limit e-bike speeds, which had said they could only be ridden as fast as 10 miles per hour on the beaches. The newly released version says e-bikes can only go up to 10 mph on county roads and county sidewalks.
The new version of the proposed law would also ban people younger than 14 from riding e-bikes, and require those under 18 to wear helmets. If bike lanes aren't available on the road, e-bikes would only be able to ride on the far right side of the street if there is a speed limit of 30 mph or less.
Patrick Zummo is a parent of a 6-year-old daughter and has spent his last two years living in Nocatee with his family. He's recently started to feel on edge about e-bikes and wants to see stricter safety requirements.
'There's stop signs that the kids don't stop on, on their bikes where the golf carts stop and the cars stop, certainly, but the e-bikes don't,' Zummo said.
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St. Johns County officials tell Action News Jax the new law to require more e-bike riders to wear helmets and limit their speeds has been in the works since February. The updated proposal has been released a few weeks after Action News Jax told you two middle school students were hurt in e-bike crashes outside of the Julington Creek neighborhood, only days apart.
On the day this story was published, Action News Jax saw two separate e-bike crashes, one in Ponte Vedra and another in Fruit Cove. County attorney Rich Komando says these kinds of cases are why the county is making the effort now to pass stricter safety measures.
'The concern was that for somebody traveling at a high rate of speed, especially on a sidewalk, it created a dangerous situation,' said Komando.
Right now, there are no punishments listed in the proposed county law for violations made against it. Komando tells Action News Jax county commissioners will be the ones to decide how the law will actually be enforced, should it pass.
'It'll be interesting to see what regulation the commission feels needs to be put in place to protect the health, safety and well-being of the people within the county,' Komando said.
The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners will be going over the proposed law during its meeting next Tuesday at 9:00 AM. That's when they are expected to go over any changes they may make, but the proposed law is not yet scheduled for a vote.
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