ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County officials discussed a proposed e-bike ordinance during a county commission meeting Tuesday morning.
The discussion about e-bike safety and setting ordinances is becoming more and more relevant in county meetings, with citizens concerned over the lack of rules and regulations, but most of all, worrying about safety.
The County Attorney’s Office for St. Johns County submitted a draft e-bike ordinance to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office last week after a middle-school-aged boy was critically injured in an e-bike crash in Julington Creek.
Once reviewed by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the ordinance will head to the St. Johns County Commission for discussion, which will be followed by public comment before any official vote is held.
While the draft e-bike ordinance was not on the agenda for the commission meeting on Tuesday, it was discussed during public comment.
The county is working to address growing concerns over e-bike safety, particularly for young riders, an issue which became more urgent last week after a boy had to be airlifted to a local trauma center after an e-bike crash and remained in critical condition.
Chuck Labanowski expressed his frustration after his friend was seriously hurt.
“But what’s become more of an issue are the streets itself and the sidewalks...that was a good friend of ours that ended up getting hit by an e-bike, and she’s still recovering from it,” Labanowski said.
He added that there are regulations for kids under 16 on a bike have to wear helmets, but none for e-bike riders.
“You’ve got kids on e-bikes that are doing 20-28 miles an hour on a sidewalk or in the street or even across a field with no protection,” Labanowski said.
News4JAX obtained a copy of the e-bike ordinance draft, which says the new rules would take effect immediately if the proposal is approved by the county.
READ: Draft e-bike ordinance for St. Johns County
Those rules include making it illegal to:
- Drive an e-bike or other electric motorized device more than 10 mph on the beach
- Park or operate an e-bike on the beach except during specified times
- Drive an e-bike carelessly (i.e., someone riding on the handlebars, speeding, failing to yield to pedestrians, weaving through pedestrian traffic, etc.)
“What I’m hoping will happen is they will put a little more restriction on the e-bikes and get the kids educated, and that’s very important,” Labanowski said.
After his presentation, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office asked him to contact them about e-bike safety and education.
At the end of the meeting, Commissioner Anne Taylor said she hopes to have something drafted and ready to discuss at the next meeting on May 20.
