FORT ATKINSON – Between 2024-25, Madison hospitals reported a 700% increase in injuries from e-bike accidents. To counter this spike, the Fort Atkinson Police Department brought proposed changes to the City Council during an Aug. 4 meeting.
“When we started doing research on off-highway motorcycles (OHMs), we started seeing a trend with more violations related to OHMs and e-bikes and bicycles,” said Fort Atkinson Police Chief Adrian Bump. “We also said we should take a look at our e-bike ordinance to make sure it’s where it should be.”
“The last time we (drafted) the ordinance, it was (the) early stage of e-bike popularity and things have changed a little bit. We saw that the definition needed to be improved within our ordinance, so it adopted state law, and that way we’re consistent.”
Bump informed the Council that he had brought forward an updated ordinance upgrading the definitions for different classes e-bikes to align with state law. He mentioned that the department had also looked at “other locations out of the state” to ensure the changes were comprehensive.
Members of the Fort Atkinson City Council asked a series questions, such as:
Do e-bikes require license plates?
“The current e-bike, bicycle, e-bike, and e-scooter ordinance requires licensing of all bicycles in the city for residents, but not for visitors,” Bump said. “They can come to the police department and get a license for that, and that’s something we’ve been doing for 50 years or more.”
Is $10 enough for a first offense citation?
“$10 is the citation amount that does not include court fees,” Bump said. “$77.30 would be the total citation amount.”
Does that citation go to a parent or a child, depending on the situation?
“The way the ordinance is written, it could go to either,” Bump said. “There is a parental responsibility that we have included because I think we’ll see better compliance if we have the parents’ help motivating them to change the behavior as well.”
Is there a graduated scale for citations?
“It goes up after the second (offense),” Bump said. City Manager Rebecca Houseman clarified that the second offense citation would be $50, plus court costs.
What is the age limit for a Class Three electric bike?
“A Class Three electric bike goes a little bit faster than the rest of them – up to 28 miles per hour with pedal assist…We probably (wouldn’t) prefer someone under the age of 16 who doesn’t have a valid driver’s license (or) road experience operating those bikes. Faster speeds also result in more serious injuries when accidents occur,” Bump said.
Is there a helmet requirement?
“We have not included that in our ordinance,” Bump said. “Sometimes we have to choose our battles. I think it was most important to get this ordinance in place and update it. Wisconsin is not a mandatory helmet state for bikes or motorcycles, so knowing the atmosphere of the community, I thought I might be picking a fight there.”
Would e-bikes be barred from bike trails?
“Under state law, we cannot restrict the use of e-bikes on trails because they need to be treated as a normal bicycle. There is an enforcement aspect that can probably be increased a little bit to help increase safety when it comes to the bikes, the use of the bike trail and following street signs.”
The amended ordinance will go for its second reading at the Aug. 18 Fort Atkinson City Council meeting.