The Morton Grove Village Board approved new regulations for electric bicycle – commonly known as an e-bike – and electric scooter use in town, joining a growing number of area suburbs looking to put some brakes on the increasingly popular vehicles.
“I think we’ve made the streets a little bit safer,” Morton Grove mayor Janine Witko said at the Aug. 12 board meeting, after the new ordinance passed.
The new regulations provide e-bikes, which were previously prohibited on public roads and sidewalks within the village, with legal status and guidelines for their use.
E-bikes and similar vehicles have been prohibited since the mid-2000s, but the ordinance notes that “Morton Grove has experienced a rise in the prevalence and use” of them.
The new law adds language to the village code defining e-bikes. It also includes a change to the minimum age to use them, going from 18 years old to 16 – matching the minimum age to obtain a driver’s license – and more closely follows state guidelines and rules established in nearby towns.
The ordinance also clarifies that a driver’s license is required to operate e-bikes, and states that class of vehicle is not intended for roads and sidewalks.
Morton Grove resident and baseball coach Joe Pauley attended the meeting and shared a story about his son, who he said was hit by a motorized scooter during tryouts at Harrer Park.
“One [scooter user] looked like a 13- 14-year-old boy, and then another 5-year-old boy as well,” Pauley said, remarking at their young age being able to operate those kinds of scooters.
He said police were called to the scene, and they explained that the devices were illegal in Morton Grove. But a lack of clarity in the village code at that time made it seem like the young boys who struck Pauley’s son ended up with relatively few consequences.
“Then we all departed our separate ways, and those same kids rode those scooters home,” Pauley said.
He said that he didn’t see much in the village’s code other than instructions to put up signs informing that the electric vehicles were banned, which he did not see posted at the park.
Trustee John Thill pointed out that the village of Morton Grove doesn’t have any control over signage posted in parks. He urged residents to contact the Park District about the matter.
“They’re supposedly working on them. So you folks have more power than we do,” said Thill.
Now that a new ordinance has passed, implementing the new rules will involve a communication campaign to inform the public of the proper legal use of e-bikes and e-scooters. A “frequently asked questions” page is expected to go up on the village website, according to the language of the ordinance.
“Now, we just need to get the word out there that you have to be a licensed driver for those vehicles that are actually allowed in town,” Witko said.
