City of Manawa addressing reckless operation of electric bikes

MANAWA, Wis. (WBAY) - Some communities are seeing a rise in complaints about electric bike riders ignoring traffic laws, creating safety concerns for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

Law enforcement agencies like the City of Manawa Police Department say they’re stepping up their efforts to address the issue as the popularity of e-bikes continues to rise.

Manawa Police Chief Jason Severson says he wants kids and riders to enjoy riding outdoors while also following ordinance guidelines.

“Kids are not riding along with traffic, and to the far right as they can safely ride, so sometimes they are out in the street at times,” says Severson.

The city of Manawa’s ordinance states that while riders do not need a driver’s license to operate e-bikes, riders 16 and under are only allowed to operate e-bikes at speeds no higher than 20 miles an hour.

Nick Rozek has worked in the biking industry for over 15 years and says electric bikes are grouped into three different classes.

“Class 1 and Class 2 will assist to up to 20 miles an hour, and Class 3 will assist up to 28 miles an hour. Class 2 can also have a throttle, so there’s some minor differences in there,” says Rozek.

Biking experts say whether you’re riding a normal bike or an e-bike, there’s one thing you should never leave home without.

“Wear a helmet. Please, wear a helmet,” says Severson.

“The fastest riders in the world, whether it’s road bikes or mountain bikes, they wear them and they wear them for a reason,” says Rozek.

Most e-bikes are equipped with safety features like back brake lights and daytime lights to help improve riders’ visibility.

Chief Severson says he and other officers from the department are speaking with members of the community to educate them on safe riding before having to issue citations.

“I don’t think we want to go down that route if we don’t have to. If kids are going to continuously not obey the rules, we might look at revisiting e-bikes in general age limits and things like that, kind of see what our options are,” says Severson.

It’s important for riders to check their community’s ordinances for operating an e-bike, as they can vary.