A proposed ordinance that would establish new rules for e-bikes, e-scooters and other motorized cycles is headed before the St. Charles Parish Council.
A public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Sept. 14 at the St. Charles Parish Courthouse in Hahnville.
Sheriff Greg Champagne said there have been a few accidents involving serious injuries as the use of e-vehicles has increased in the parish.
“There have also been many close calls,” Champagne said. “Drivers are concerned about the manner in which many of these vehicles are being operated by young children.”
He said drivers have reported seeing young riders fail to stop at stop signs, operate the vehicles recklessly and commit other traffic violations.
“The message I have been getting from the public is, ‘something needs to be done,’” Champagne said. “This is not an issue unique to St. Charles Parish. It is nationwide.”
Champagne said state laws and local ordinances regulating electric bicycles, electric scooters and electric motorcycles have not kept pace with the rapidly advancing technology.
“We began to do research about whether other parishes and cities had written ordinances and we found almost none,” Champagne said. “Myself and staff got together and researched state law and national standards before we drafted the proposed ordinance.”
The Sheriff’s Office presented the draft to the Parish Council’s Legislative Committee, and Council member Holly Fonseca agreed to sponsor the ordinance.
“If the council chooses to pass the ordinance, we plan to do an educational campaign, including instructional videos, which we hope will make everyone who operates one of these e-vehicles safer,” Champagne said. “We have already begun working on the script and video.”
The ordinance would set a 20-mph speed limit for electric-assisted bicycles, electric scooters and electric dirt bikes on parish roads, streets, sidewalks and highways. It would also require riders younger than 17 to wear an approved bicycle helmet.
Riders would not be allowed to carry more passengers than a vehicle is designed to accommodate, and the ordinance would restrict cellphone use, including texting and accessing social media, while operating the vehicles.
The ordinance would also prohibit reckless or careless operation and would also prohibit certain activities, including riding on one wheel, operating at an unsafe speed, passing too close to pedestrians and holding on to a moving vehicle.
The proposed ordinance also addresses higher-speed vehicles. Motorized bicycles, motor-driven cycles, electric-assisted bicycles, electric scooters and electric dirt bikes capable of speeds greater than 28 mph would be subject to requirements including a driver’s license, liability insurance, registration and an approved helmet. The ordinance carries fines of $100 to $500, plus court costs.
“This is not about us giving citations or collecting fines,” Champagne said. “It is about safety. A serious accident involving an e-bike or scooter not only affects that child, but it also has a detrimental impact on the automobile motorist who must live with the fact that a child had been injured or killed, even though it was not their fault.”
Champagne said the proposed ordinance may not prevent a child from being seriously injured or killed, but it is an effort to make parish streets safer for all.
“We need parents to pay attention and have the safety talk with their children if they choose to buy one of these vehicles,” he said.