Abington looks to ban e-bikes at parks and trails, citing safety concerns
Commissioners moved forward Thursday with a ban on electric vehicles, including e-bikes and e-scooters, at Abington park systems.
Abington moved toward banning e-bikes and e-scooters at public parks and trails during Thursday’s commissioners meeting.
A majority of Abington’s 15-member commissioner board voted to advance a proposed ban on electric vehicles from Abington park systems because of safety and disruption concerns, according to a summary of the proposal.
The ban would not apply to electrified vehicles designed for people with disabilities, and would not cover county-owned sites such as Lorimer Park.
The rise in popularity of small electric vehicles has led to crashes and fatalities across the region. Earlier this week, two people in Pottstown were sent to the hospital after an apparent collision between an e-bike and an e-scooter.
But some Abington commissioners voted against the motion after local cyclists raised concern that the ban would be too broad.
Many local cyclists want a narrower ban that still allows slower, lighter e-bikes, said Ross Abel of Bike Montgomery County.
Pedal-assisted bikes help seniors and parents with young children reach parks, Abel said. A full ban “would really prevent them from getting out in nature on their bikes.”
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia has argued that the slower e-bikes have been wrongly lumped together with powerful e-moto bikes that look similar but can cause more damage.
Last year, a cyclist on Schuylkill River Trail near Norristown was hit by an unregistered electric motorcycle, leaving him with a partially dissected artery in his neck.
State law differentiates e-bikes from vehicles that require a license, like motorcycles. But unlike many e-bike manufacturers, Pennsylvania does not distinguish different e-bikes by power and top speed. And in practice, distinctions can be murky.
Police responding to the Norristown collision appeared to view the faster vehicle as an e-bike, referring to the e-moto rider as “the other cyclist.”
That trouble telling the bikes apart is exactly why some argue a narrower ban would be impractical for township staff to enforce, Abington commissioner John Spiegelman said.
Though Abington’s commissioners have 60 days to finalize the ban once it’s advertised, some are already considering revisions.
“I’ve been trying to think of some kind of workable compromise that accommodates all parties’ concerns,” Spiegelman said, “while ultimately protecting the folks in our parks and on our trails, including young kids, from injury.”
Inquirer Greater Abington
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