Revised October 21, 2024
For those hopeful for some long-awaited enforcement on the kids on e-bikes, the wait will continue. On October 15 the Shorewood council passed its first ever ordinance regulating youth riding e-bikes. (See the council and Police Chief discussion here.) The ordinance is quite simple:
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614.03 ELECTRIC BIKE USAGE Electric bicycles operated within the City shall comply with Minnesota State Statutes and the following additional requirements:
Subd. 1. Any person under the age of 18 operating or riding on an electric bicycle shall wear a helmet or other protective headgear approved for bicycle riding by the United States Department of Transportation or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Subd. 2. No person shall operate an electric bike on natural or artificial turf, playfield, playground, court, ice rink, natural area, or structure located in a designated public park.
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Minnesota Law considers e-bikes bicycles. Although they have motorized, they are not (by state law) motor vehicles. Again, they are bicycles. E-bikes are rated as Class I, II and III. Class II is more similar to a motorcycle with no pedals and higher speed. More high-powered models are already showing up on the streets and trails and small electric unregulated motorcycles have been seen on the streets and in Shorewood’s Badger Park.
The mayor indicated that many resident comments were received by council members in person, writing or by phone calls, expressing concern about the bikes on trails and sidewalks.* The council considered the option of banning the bikes from sidewalks and trails, but declined the opportunity because of enforcement issues.
*The comments were not shared publicly.
Issues about enforcement on the LRT remain unresolved. South Lake Public Safety does not have jurisdiction over the LRT. This means that the majority of bad behavior in Shorewood cannot be enforced. Three Rivers Park District (TRPD) has loosely written “guidelines” for bicycling behavior. According to neighbors and frequent users, TRPD law enforcement presence on the trail appears to be nearly non-existent. The council gave no guidance to staff or police to consider cooperative efforts with TRPD.
As approved, this ordinance provides probable cause for officers to make stops when operation appears to be unsafe. Citations will not be issued to juveniles. According to the Chief of Police, the goal is not to fine, but rather to educate. Instead, he is focusing on the parents who buy the high powered bikes for their children. He said it is possible to charge them with child endangerment for providing the equipment.
The Chief has been working on juvenile e-bike behavior for two years, teaming up with Greenwood Mayor Fletcher, League of Minnesota Cities, Sen. Morrison and Rep. Myers. He is hoping for change in the next Legislative session. It should be noted that Greenwood and Excelsior have identical helmet language in their ordinances which helps the police with consistent enforcement across the South Lake cities. The Chief has noticed a decline in bad behavior since word spread on the helmet law.
In summary, the State laws have not kept up with the technology of these machines, hampering enforcement and exacerbating the tension between the bikes and those who must share space with them. The result in Shorewood is that not much will change until the State changes.
What you can do: Start putting the pressure on these people to bring about change.
Contact:
- Senate District 45 Contact
(Senator to replace Kelly Morrison will be elected Nov. 5) - Andrew Myers (612) 615-8444
State Representative - Louise Segreto, (763) 694-2033
Three Rivers Park District Presentative - Heather Edelson (612) 348-7886
Hennepin County Commissioner, District 6 - Shorewood Council members
Dustin Maddy (612) 293-6727 dmaddy@ci.shorewood.mn.us
Jennifer Labadie (952) 836-8719 jlabadie@ci.shorewood.mn.us
Scott Zerby (952) 905-4444 szerby@ci.shorewood.mn.us
Guy Sanschagrin (952) 217-1289 gsanschagrin@ci.shorewood.mn.us
Paula Callies (763) 546-8020 pcallies@ci.shorewood.mn.us
- South Lake Public Safety (952) 258-5321 (non-emergency)
- Three Rivers Park District (952) 258-5321
Law Enforcement
