'Hair On Fire': Elmhurst Greenlights E-Bike Rules

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst is adding to the hodgepodge of suburban regulations for electric bicycles and scooters.

On Monday, the City Council unanimously approved new rules. The city joins towns around Illinois that are dealing with gaps in state law on e-bikes.

Elmhurst officials said they would have enacted more stringent rules, but expected state lawmakers to take action this year.

"I witness a lot of close disasters with e-bikes and e-scooters in my block," Alderman Mike Brennan said. "As an alderman, I got calls from residents gravely concerned with the sort of trends that they are seeing in their neighborhoods."

Brennan urged parents to think hard about whether their children are ready to use such vehicles.

"Kids ride down the street like their hair is on fire, and they go through a yield sign. They don't look either way," the alderman said. "It's just a matter of time."

Among the rules approved Monday, the city would

• Allow state-authorized e-bikes and e-scooters on streets and paths, but not sidewalks. This aligns with state law.
• Bar non-highway vehicles and motorcycles with electric motors greater than 750 watts from streets, sidewalks and paths. This does not apply to motorized wheelchairs for those with disabilities.
• Bar adults from knowingly permitting children to operate e-bikes and e-scooters in violation of state law.

Last year, a few incidents occurred in Elmhurst involving e-bikes.

Perhaps the most high-profile one was when a 14-year-old boy was accused of crashing his e-bike into a woman leaving a business in the 500 block of South York Street.

The woman was knocked to the ground and suffered minor injuries, police said. The boy's e-bike had a 2,400-watt electric motor.

The boy and his father were charged.