Danville Poised To Ban Riding E-Bikes In Town Parks

DANVILLE, CA — The Danville Town Council will consider an ordinance that would prohibit riding e-bikes, e-motorcycles, and motorized scooters anywhere inside town parks.

An ordinance first presented in June would have allowed e-bikes and motorized scooters on paved park trails, subject to a 15 mph speed limit. It would have also retained existing provisions that prohibit riding in an unsafe manner, and ban bicycles, e-bikes and scooters from playground areas of town parks, and on sidewalks in business districts.

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However, numerous residents attended the June 16 meeting to urge council members to adopt stricter rules. One resident described being hit by an e-bike, leading to a broken and partially amputated finger. Because the e-bike rider was on a town path, he could not be cited, even though police found him at fault for the collision.

The council unanimously introduced and approved the first reading of a revised ordinance requiring riders of e-bikes, e-motorcycles, and motorized scooters to dismount and walk their devices anywhere within a town park. The ordinance also expands the prohibition on negligent or reckless riding to cover all wheeled vehicles in town parks or trails, and establishes a 15 mph speed limit for bicycles, e-bikes, e-motorcycles and motorized scooters on town-owned trails not located within parks.

The revised ordinance returns to the council for a second reading and potential adoption Tuesday. It is placed on the consent calendar, indicating likely adoption.

It comes after nearly two years of discussion about the growing use of e-bikes and motorized scooters in public spaces in Danville. Last year, the council asked the Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission and the Bicycle Advisory Commission to study whether additional regulations were needed. The Parks Commission recommended two new rules that form the basis of the new ordinance.

See here for more information, and here for Tuesday’s full agenda.