GAHANNA, Ohio (WCMH) — With summer right around the corner, more people are hitting the streets and trails on e-bikes and scooters. But according to Gahanna police, that rise in popularity, especially among children, is also sparking new safety concerns.
Gahanna Deputy Police Chief Ethan Moffitt said many of those riders don’t fully understand how to safely operate them or where to ride them.
“As it relates to electric bikes, they’re generally permitted on sidewalks,” Moffitt said. “We encourage people to check with their local jurisdiction, their local authorities. But where they’re permitted on sidewalks, it’s while they’re being pedaled, not while the motor is engaged.”
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Moffitt said one of the big concerns is speed. Some e-bikes can reach upwards of 28 miles per hour, making them much faster than a traditional bicycle.
“Always be wearing a helmet,” Bicycle One sales manager Joseph Nungesser said. “Whether or not you’re riding an e-bike, helmets save lots of people’s lives. My helmet saved my life at one point a couple years ago.”
Bike experts recommend that parents set speed limits on the bike itself, use lights, and teach kids how to ride responsibly around others, especially on crowded paths.
“Slowing down around corners,” Nungesser said. “Just being extra safe. Giving people plenty of space. Using a bell or saying on your left. Anything to give somebody the clue that you’re coming by.”
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With more riders expected in the coming months, officers said preventing accidents starts with simple conversations at home.
“We want the same thing,” Moffitt said. “We want to work in partnership with our parents and our community. Our primary focus is on education. We want to educate parents and our riding public so that we don’t have these incidents, accidents, crashes.”
According to Gahanna police, they’re also seeing an increase in miniaturized e-motorcycles on public roadways. They encourage parents to check on those because many cannot legally be operated on the streets or in public areas.
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