E-bike regulations needed for safety

Columbia Falls is grabbing e-bike regulations by the handlebars as the popularity of battery-powered transportation shifts into high gear.

The City Council last week quickly approved the first reading of a new law that restricts electric motorized vehicles on public bike paths and sidewalks. The ordinance states that any wheeled device — such as a bike, scooter or skateboard — may be used on paths only under human propulsion. E-bikes with pedals are allowed if the rider pedals.

Under the law, posted speed limits must be followed by all cyclists, electric or not, and children younger than 18 are required to wear a helmet while riding on public paths or roads.

The dangers of electric cycles caught the City Council’s attention after a teen riding a battery-powered motorcycle on a sidewalk at about 30 mph collided with a vehicle, sending him through the windshield.

The incident is among a growing trend of e-bike-related accidents nationwide.

Data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission show that as the use of e-bikes accelerates, so have accidents that result in significant injuries. Roughly 3,500 e-bike accidents were reported in 2017. Five years later, that number topped 34,000. There have been 193 e-bike-related deaths in that same time frame.

The data show that the proliferation of electric bikes combined with young or inexperienced users has become a public safety hazard.

Yet Montana does not have laws that differentiate appropriate use of an e-bike from a bicycle — they are essentially treated the same. Unlike neighboring states, Montana has not adopted a three-tiered classification system that categorizes e-bikes. There is no helmet law for children, nor is there an age restriction.

With the onus falling on local governments, many cities have crafted individual ordinances that address e-bike safety to varying degrees.

Whitefish law bans Type 3 e-bike models that can hit speeds of 28 mph from using shared-use paths, and in Missoula e-bikes aren’t allowed on certain sidewalks.

As battery technology rapidly evolves, Columbia Falls is smart to take precautions and give its police officers the ability to enforce reasonable and prudent use of e-bikes. The city’s ordinance is likely to prevent reckless injuries and tragic accidents, and is something all city councils or county commissions in Montana should consider.