PITTSFORD, N.Y. (WROC) — In the Village of Pittsford, officials are considering a proposal that would ban bicycles, e-bikes and scooters from sidewalks.
News 8’s Dawson LeVan spoke with Mayor Alysa Plummer, who said the proposal is driven by safety concerns.
“When you’re coming out of a shop and there’s somebody whizzing by on a bicycle on a sidewalk, you can be hit. That can hurt everybody. I’ve been hit twice,” Plummer said.
Plummer said she has seen an increase in injuries involving e-bikes colliding with pedestrians.
“We are very much aware, looking at the research, that head injuries have increased in emergency rooms with kids using these bikes,” she said.
The mayor said the village is working to find a compromise so bicyclists and e-bike riders can continue to use their bikes safely.
“We have a conceptual design for what we call bike boulevards, because our side streets that we own are safer than the state roads — the main streets in Monroe County that come through our village,” Plummer said. “It’s not just about the legislation. It’s really about implementing additional layers of education and other safety initiatives in addition to that.”
Some residents who regularly bike in the village said they enjoy riding and do not want to see major changes.
“I feel like it shouldn’t happen at all because as a kid, me and other friends used to bike every summer, every weekend. It was great. I didn’t see any issues with it as long as guidelines were followed,” Quincy Zuo said.
Alex McMullen said he understands pedestrian safety concerns but is hesitant about riding in the street.
“I understand the aspect of pedestrian safety on sidewalks. However, as someone who is not really comfortable riding my own bicycle on the streets with cars, I get it also from a bicycle safety perspective — not going to be on the roads,” McMullen said.
Resident Omika Patel said she hopes the village can find middle ground.
“Maybe find a compromise for people biking and people walking, people driving. Because sometimes people, their primary form of transport is a bike or is their feet. So, I feel like banning it may not be the best for people living here, especially since things are so close together,” Patel said.
The proposal is expected to be discussed at the next public hearing in March.
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