PARK DAMAGE— Ruts in two area parks caused by e-bikes will cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars to fix. Courtesy of CRPD
Two area parks will have to undergo repairs after sustaining thousands of dollars in damage caused by e-bikes, park authorities said.
Over the course of a year, Conejo Recreation and Park District officials said Newbury Park’s Dos Vientos Community Park and Borchard Community Park have incurred about $50,000 in damage in total due to what the district described as “improper e-bike use.”
Andrew Mooney, director of parks and planning for the district, said repairs are ongoing and handled on a case-by-case basis. Some repairs can wait, while others are addressed immediately, depending on public safety concerns and overall park usability.
“A lot of these bikes are really like e-motorcycles,” Mooney said. “They’re not necessarily e-bikes because of their rating, but unfortunately, they’re getting cheaper and more available, so more people are using them, which then leads to more abuse. People look at the parks as a place to have fun.”
For the past six months, CRPD has teamed up with the Thousand Oaks Police Department and the Conejo Valley Unified School District on media campaigns to educate students and their families about rules surrounding e-bicycles and the illegality of e-motorcycles.
“We are and will be performing enforcement operations specific to e-bikes and e-motorcycles,” said Thousand Oaks Police Chief Jeremy Paris. “This will include issuing citations and towing e-motorcycles that are illegally operating on our roads.”
Mooney said the city has skate parks and bike parks, but there is no designated public space for e-bikes. The district conducted outreach and “didn’t get any feedback from the community that would be interested in providing a place,” he said.
“Right now, we just have rules and regulations saying, ‘Be safe and smart, ride the proper bikes in the park.’”
