Council approves amendments to e-bike legislation

by Dan Holland

In light of the increasing popularity of e-bikes, members of Broadview Heights City Council have enacted legislation in recent weeks amending Chapter 474 of the city’s codified ordinances regarding right-of-way, required equipment and identity markings on e-bikes.

Mayor Sam Alai and Chief Building Official Joe Mandato were tasked with recommending updates to the city code during council’s work sessions in June. While Alai said the city code seemed to be in “pretty good shape” regarding e-bike regulation, a number of changes – based on a review of similar legislation put in place by neighboring cities – were endorsed by Mandato.

“I think what we’re proposing looks pretty good,” Alai said. “I think the better prepared we are for this, the safer people riding these bikes and motorists will be as well,” said Alai.

Councilperson-at-large Jennifer Mahnic added that educating residents on e-bike usage and safety would benefit the community as a whole.

“I think [this] would be really helpful,” she said. “I’m sure that you’ve made efforts to do this, but I think in general, people just don’t know what the rules and expectations are, and [we should] continue to educate our residents.”

Amendments to the codified ordinances include yielding the right-of-way to pedestrians and giving an audible signal before passing.

Equipment requirements include having a front-mounted white-light lamp; a red rear reflector with a flashing or steady red light; a device to emit audible signals; and an adequate braking system. All Class 3 e-bikes – which have a pedal-assist limit of up to 28 miles per hour – must be clearly marked as such.

“I’ve had people call me concerning the new e-bikes, and we want to make sure everyone enjoys their e-bikes, but we want to remind them of the rules of using them to make it safe for themselves and the residents,” City Council President Robert Boldt said. “So, the mayor put together what he thought would be improvements, and he and Joe Mandato added some points to the legislation, and we feel this is a good point to regulate how these e-bikes are being used down the road.”

Boldt added that additional legislation regarding e-bikes may be added in the future.

“We wanted to first put some basic rules in effect and [provide some] education,” he added. “We want to push out to the city, and then we’ll reevaluate it in one year. We just want to make sure it’s safe for everyone, and so, we want to push education for now, which [was] promoted at Home Days. The mayor will be putting it on the city website, and we’re going to get together with local businesses so they can post the rules and tell us their expert opinions. This is a collaborative effort to make sure the rules are correct for the safety of all.”