By Steamboat Radio Intern Chloe Sachs.
How effective has the e-bike mandate really been?
On April 4, 2023, the Steamboat Springs City Council passed an ordinance that officially made it illegal for children under the age of 15 to ride an e-bike without wearing a helmet. Since then, the number of helmet wearing riders has increased. Or has it?
When swarms of e-bikes took over Steamboat Springs last summer, there were several public safety concerns, especially when it came to children under 15 not wearing helmets or obeying traffic laws. This was not only dangerous to them, but also to drivers and pedestrians.
Since the ordinance has been put in place, locals have started noticing changes. City Council president Robin Crossan states, “The goal of the ordinance was to put the responsibility on the ‘city,’ not the parents, to have kids wear helmets.” She adds, “I have noticed not only an uptake in e-bike ridership, especially with younger riders, and many more are wearing helmets.” City Manager Gary Suiter agrees with Crossan.
Rich Brown, Steamboat Springs Police Department Commander states, “Our goal is to try and increase awareness and encourage voluntary compliance.” He adds, “We know the importance of these types of safety initiatives and continue to partner with Parks and Recreation, Routt County Riders, and the Steamboat Schools to carry our safety goals forward.”
Brown also says that although the police department has not given out any citations, they have had contact with some kids and given verbal warnings.
Photos courtesy Chloe Sachs
The City of Steamboat Springs, along with the Routt County Sheriff’s Office and Routt County Riders sent a reminder about which bikes, e-bikes, and e-Motorbikes are allowed on trails and sidewalks on Sept. 6. Here’s the link to that story.