Othello City Council considering e-bike regulations

OTHELLO — The Othello City Council is considering e-bike regulations around helmets, speed limits and locations where the devices are allowed. The council began the discussion at the June 22 meeting regarding the potential regulations, asking Othello Police Chief Brent McFarlane to bring back drafted resolutions to the July 13 regular city council meeting.  

“I haven't gotten too far into the project just yet, but the big topics of conversation are speed limits, prohibited locations where they can and can't be, helmet laws and those are the three main areas of what we'd probably look at,” McFarlane said.  

He said that prior to the last council meeting, he was at a local park and had a young rider pass him on an e-bike, without a helmet. 

“This young kid just ripped by us. It felt like 40 miles per hour, but it was probably only 20 miles per hour, but 20 miles per hour still seems awfully fast for a young person to be going without a helmet,” McFarlane said. “I could only imagine the impact from that crash, especially without a helmet.” 

Mayor Ken Johnson said the city is not looking at a full ban for the bikes but instead making them safer for both the riders and pedestrians near them.  

“Kids will be kids, and we don't want to ban them,” Johnson said. “We need things for them to be outside and things to do outside. It's better than sitting in the house on a computer or Game Boy or what have you. We encourage kids to get out and be outdoors and do activities. This is one of the activities, but we want them to do it safely.” 

City staff are currently evaluating three specific areas where potential restrictions could be implemented. This includes setting strict speed parameters and guidelines for streets, sidewalks and designated street crosswalks within the city limits. Furthermore, setting exclusion zones like limiting e-bike usage on grassy play areas, active sports courts and narrow unpaved trails. Lastly, setting speed limits for multi-use pathways and asserting absolute pedestrian right-of-way, according to the presentation McFarlane gave to council.  

“We've had them zipping around town, especially younger kids without helmets. They just have an ignorance of what the laws are, what cars have to do, the safety of the roads,” Johnson said. “So, when you're talking to a 10- and 12-year-old, they don't see the safety, they haven’t passed driver's ed and learned some of the safety laws and rules when you're running down a city street. We just want to keep them safe.”  

There was also discussion about mandating helmet usage for young riders. 

“(McFarlane) was going to look at some other cities that are facing the same challenges, or some that have already put ordinances in place and take a look at those, and then see what best fits our community and bring that back to us to have further discussion,” Johnson said.  

McFarlane encouraged parents to have discussions with young riders about safety as they use their e-bikes or any other motorized vehicle. 

“I think parents need to just have conversations with their kids about being observant and alert – to have their heads on a swivel,” McFarlane said. “In my opinion, I think it is visibly hard to see if they are being ridden on a street or an alleyway, so make sure they are seen before dodging out in front of a vehicle. I also highly encourage helmets for kids based on the speed in which these devices go.”  

Nothing was officially passed by the Othello City Council with further discussion expected at upcoming meetings.