Children under the age of 16 would be required to wear helmets while riding electric bicycles and electric scooters under an ordinance advanced by Pottsville City Council on Monday.
The council approved a first reading of the proposal at their regular meeting earlier this week. The ordinance introduces the safety mandate and establishes a $25 fine for violations. If adopted on final reading, the new regulations would take effect 10 days later.
Council members say they’ve seen, first-hand, children riding these vehicles at excessive speeds and believe it’s just a matter of time until someone is seriously injured.
The helmet requirement is an amendment to a current ordinance that prohibits riding motorized vehicles on sidewalks and any self-propelled vehicle (such as skateboards, sktes, and bicycles) on sidewalks in the business district. E-bikes and e-scooters would also be banned on sidewalks, when the new ordinance passes.
The new helmet rule applies to any minor operating an e-bike or e-scooter, riding as a passenger, or riding in an attached restraining seat or trailer.
Both the current and proposed versions preserve an exemption for mobility devices used by handicapped individuals, provided they do not exceed the speed of normal pedestrian traffic.
The update also introduces new regulations for operating these devices on city streets. It would become illegal for riders of bicycles, e-bikes, or e-scooters to ride with both hands off the handlebars or to carry passengers without a dedicated, firmly attached seat.
Pottsville Police Chief John Morrow did suggest to council members that the new ordinance, before it’s adopted, works in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code.
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