Port Neches — Port Neches city leaders are weighing how to regulate electric bikes as their popularity grows and residents raise safety concerns.
Mayor and city officials said they have heard complaints from citizens and want to discuss possible regulations “to be proactive and keep the community safe.”
Residents have noticed more e-bikes on local streets in recent months. “It seems like in the past six months they become increasingly popular,” one resident said.
The city’s concerns center on speed and visibility, especially when e-bikes are operated around traffic.
“They are faster than a regular bike and sometimes they’re smaller. So again, that’s very important to be careful,” said Port Neches Fire Department Chief Eloy Vega. “It’s an opportunity for kids to have a lot of fun, but we want folks to have fun in a safe manner and responsible manner.”
Some residents said they want age limits and helmet requirements.
“I just think that they should not be allowed on it if you’re not 16. And if you don’t have a helmet on. I saw three children last week at the red light on Merriman. And they did not have helmets on. And they were right in the middle of the road. That shouldn’t be allowed,” said Margie Pool, who supports e-bike regulations.
At Thursday’s City Council meeting, Port Neches is scheduled to discuss possible safety regulations for e-bikes.
“I definitely think that would be helpful to have some guidelines, some regulations to follow just to prevent accidents, especially in this area right here where we have so many senior citizens walking through their car and that type of thing, and just ensuring that they’re safe,” said Jennifer Phillips, who also supports regulations.
Vega said the goal is prevention as more people spend time outside.
“It’s about prevention. What we want to do is we want to be proactive as the council is reviewing the regulations for improving the safety conditions in our community and preventing an accident,” Vega said.
Vega, who has an electric motorcycle, said safety reminders apply to everyone, not just kids, and urged riders to obey traffic laws.
City Council is not expected to take action Thursday on any new regulations, but officials said possible ordinances could be considered at the next council meeting.
