A Massachusetts police department is issuing a safety warning following a rise in e-bike accidents.
The Milford Police Department said e-bikes continue to be a problem for both riders and drivers. People in the city said they have noticed an increase in e-bikes, often traveling at fast and dangerous speeds.
“Some of them are really fast, they scoot around through the woods and tend to be pretty dangerous,” Bryan Meggison said.
Milford e-bike warning
Milford police issued the warning to the public after a 15-year-old lost control of an e-bike and was hit by a car on Wednesday.
It was the seventh e-bike accident in the last 10 days in Milford.
Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino said in a statement that if changes aren’t made, it’s only a matter of time before tragedy strikes.
“We are once again urging our community to educate your children of the significant safety risks to riders and pedestrians if proper laws and safety precautions are not taken. If this trend continues it will unquestionably result in tragedy,” the police chief said.
Meggison said he has seen a spike in younger people riding the high-speed, battery-powered bikes.
“I think it’s pretty hard in this area, I think it happens here a lot,” Meggison said. “The seven that happened this last month are not new, last year was very similar. There’s a lot of accidents out here as well. I think they need to be more careful. I think a lot of it is parental guidance.”
Not all oppose e-bikes
Not all residents in Milford are against electric bikes. Grace Gindell enjoys taking her dog around Louisa Lake in Milford and said that she’s had pleasant interactions with riders.
“The nice thing is people will usually call out right or left if they’re coming up on the side of you or something,” she said.
E-bikes also made headlines in Whitman on Friday when a battery caused a garage fire that resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in property damage.
Some residents that spoke to WBZ-TV were skeptical that bike lanes would make a big difference. They said they would like to see regulations on speed, but added that a lot of this boils down to parents keeping an eye on their kids while their riding.
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