Latest news with #IllinoisVehicleCode
Chicago Tribune
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.'
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
ISP to conduct ACE patrols in July
PESOTUM – Illinois State Police Troop 7 Commander Heather Apperson announces ISP will conduct Alcohol Countermeasure Enforcement (ACE) patrols in Macon and Vermilion counties during July. ACE patrols allow the ISP to focus on preventing, detecting, and taking enforcement action in response to violations associated with impaired driving and illegal transportation or consumption of alcohol or drugs. The ISP has zero tolerance for impaired driving in Illinois. Officers working the detail will be watchful for motorists who show signs of impaired driving, operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, driving with a suspended or revoked driver's license, and transporting open alcoholic beverages, as well as improper seatbelt and child restraint usage, distracted driving, and other Illinois Vehicle Code violations. Alcohol and drug impairment are estimated to be a factor in more than 47% of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. There is one alcohol-related traffic fatality every 39 minutes in the United States. The ACE program allows officers to work even harder at removing dangerous DUI offenders from the road. This project is funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Danville man pleads guilty to drug, weapons charge
On May 15, Tymone Jackson, age 38, pleaded guilty in two separate cases, to Unlawful Possession of Weapon by Felon, a class 2 felony for a sentence of 12 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, and to Possession of Contraband in a Penal Institution, a class 1 felony, for a sentence of six years in the IDOC. The sentences will be served concurrently. Jackson will serve one year of mandatory supervised release following his release from prison. Judge Karen Wall presided over the plea and sentencing. Evidence was presented that on Oct. 26, 2024, Jackson was the driver of a car that was stopped by the Vermilion County Sheriff's Department for violations of the Illinois Vehicle Code. Deputies observed suspicious activity during the stop and searched the vehicle and the occupants, including Jackson. While searching Jackson's person, deputies located a loaded handgun. Jackson had previously been convicted of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Felon and is not legally allowed to possess a handgun. The People also presented evidence that on Nov. 7, 2024, while Jackson was an inmate at the Vermilion County Public Safety Building, an investigator of the Vermilion County Sheriff's Department received information that drugs were present in the jail. Following this lead, Jackson was questioned and subsequently searched. The investigator located cocaine concealed on Jackson's person. State's Attorney Jacqueline Lacy thanked the members of the Vermilion County Sheriff's Department for their work in these cases. She added, 'This defendant, who was already facing serious charges for illegally possessing a weapon, showed complete disregard for the law by bringing illegal drugs into the Public Safety Building. Not only was his behavior illegal, but he endangered the security of our correctional facility, staff and inmates.'
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
‘Move over or get pulled over': Illinois State Police reiterate no-tolerance policy
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Illinois State Police troopers are reiterating their no-tolerance policy for drivers who don't move over for law enforcement and emergency vehicles. Commonly referred to as Scott's Law in Illinois after Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Scott Gillen, who was hit and killed while responding to a traffic accident 25 years ago. 'Every motorist is required to get over and slow down in the other lane upon approaching an emergency vehicle with its lights flashing,' said Sergeant Wes Matarelli. 'That could be a law enforcement vehicle, it could be a fire truck, it could be an ambulance, any EMS personnel.' Vehicles the law applies to can be found under the Illinois Vehicle Code. Matarelli explains why this is being broadcasted right now. 'For years and years we've been advocating this law, telling people to move over, slow down,' he said. 'This is nothing new. But we're still consistently getting in crashes, crashes that involve serious injuries to our first responders and our troopers. We're not changing the law. We're just stating that now we are going to be writing tickets, not warnings.' Violators could be fined $250-$10,000, and if there is injury or death of another person, it's a felony and a possible driving suspension of up to two years. Just this year, there have been five Move-Over crashes, four of which involved a trooper being injured. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Illinois House passes bill letting DUI offenders drive with breathalyzer restrictions
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois House has passed a bill that would allow people convicted of DUI to apply for restricted driving privileges, as long as they agree to use a blood-alcohol monitoring device. would amend the Illinois Vehicle Code to allow the Secretary of State's office to issue a restricted driving permit allowing someone convicted of DUI to drive 6 days a week, 12 hours per day, within a 200-mile radius of their home. The driver would have to agree to use a Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device (BAIID), a breathalyzer that prevents a vehicle from starting if the driver's breath alcohol content is above a set limit. The bill would require drivers to pay $30 a month to use the device and a $100 installation fee. Persons involved in a fatal accident while under the influence of alcohol or drugs would not be eligible for the permit. HB2658 passed the House on Monday and now heads to the Senate. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
