29-07-2025
- Automotive
- Chicago Tribune
Park Ridge City Council sets limits, rules on e-bike and e-scooter operation around town
After more than a month of debate, the Park Ridge City Council approved the city's first regulations on electric bikes and electric scooters – in an effort to create guidelines around use of the popular vehicles and increase public safety.
'I think having an ordinance will give us better guidance,' police Chief Bob Kampwirth said at the July 21 City Council meeting, adding he would begin training and educating his officers righ away.
In general, the new ordinance requires e-bikes to be operated on the street and not in parks, and stick to the rules other bikes and motor vehicles must follow. In addition, only people 14 years old and older may operate Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes, and only those 16 and older may operate Class 3 ones.
The classes are defined by state law, with Class 3 bikes being the fastest and able to go over 20 miles per hour.
The rules in Park Ridge now state that e-scooters may be ridden on sidewalks except where prohibited — usually in pedestrian-rich areas — and people on foot always have the right of way for all vehicles.
Also, none of the vehicles can interfere with automobile traffic.
Finally, the ordinance stipulates that every e-bike in town has to have a permanent label on prominent display that includes 'a classification number for the bicycle that corresponds with a class under the Illinois Vehicle Code; the bicycle's top assisted speed; and the bicycle's motor wattage.'
In addition, the equipment cannot be modified to run faster than designed.
Resident Bruce Gilpin asked the City Council to crack down on vehicles he described as electric dirt bikes—motorcycles, essentially, that don't have license plates or lights and he says speed through his neighborhood.
'In my neighborhood, there are at least four or five people who have electric dirt bikes which they treat as bicycles,' he told the council. 'These bikes do not have taillights, they do not have license plates and they do not have headlights.'
Bikes and other vehicles already have to have front white lights if used at night, according to city code.
He said that the dirt bike riders seem to understand they weren't operating bicycles because they use motorcycle helmets.
Later in the meeting, Kampwirth said any electric bike over 750 watts is a motorcycle under state law, so vehicles like that are already legally required to follow motor bike regulations.
In all, city leaders seemed pleased with the law, though they worried the police may have difficulty enforcing it and spreading the word about the law change.
'This will help guide us. I see the pluses and minuses to it, and we'll see and get back to you,' the police chief said.
Councilman John Moran said the regulations could always be amended and said the final draft of the ordinance was a good middle ground of all concerns that had been expressed around the issue of e-bikes and e-scooters.
'It's a good compromise and a good starting point for the chief to have something going forward,' he said.
Moran told the police chief, 'If you encounter issues with it then come back and feel free to suggest amendments and we will support you.'
