Northern Glendale Councilmembers Ray Malnar and Lauren Tolmachoff see electric scooters and bikes zipping by their neighborhood and hear about their dangers from constituents.
In southern Glendale, Councilmember Leandro Baldenegro sees a large number of students ride their e-bikes to Glendale American School, where he works. And Councilmember Lupe Coachas had to brake when a kid on an e-bike cut in front of him on Maryland Avenue before they blew through the stop sign.
Glendale does not have an ordinance to deal specifically with e-bikes and e-scooters, other than a regulation already prohibiting the use of electric bicycles and scooters in parks.
Council and staff laid the groundwork for an ordinance during a workshop discussion Aug. 12.
“It’s just a matter of time, in my mind, before tragedy strikes and somebody gets seriously hurt,” said Deputy City Manager Rick St. John.
An Aug. 1 colliision between a pickup and a 13-year old Mountain Ridge freshman riding an e-bike to school nearly turned tragic.
St. John said he was told the e-bike was not a contributing factor. In that wreck, it was just inattention from both parties.
“As I understand, he was going the same direction as traffic. Both had stopped for a red light. And when the light turned green for 67th Avenue, both vehicles went — the bike to cross the street and the truck to turn right,” St. John said.
Tolmachoff has heard from many constituents worried their child would be hurt riding a scooter — or that they would get hit darting around in traffic — and these calls came before the accident.
E-scooter and e-bike use escalated north of Loop 101, and just south of it, in the past year.
“It’s a big problem in Arrowhead Ranch. I know it’s a big problem in north Phoenix and north Peoria because I talk to Ann O’Brien, whose district is to the east, and Peoria leaders. We’re dealing with the same thing,” Tolmachoff said after Tuesday’s council meeting. “Obviously, you can’t just snap your fingers and have an ordinance.”
Phoenix recently adopted an electronic bike ordinance.
Electric bicycles are defined by state law as having fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts. The bikes are broken into three classes.
Electric scooters have two or three wheels, handlebars and a floorboard. They are powered by an electric motor with a maximum speed of 20 mph.
Meanwhile, motor driven cycles do not have pedals and are governed by the same laws as standard motorcycles.
The fastest electric bikes are limited to 28 mph.
“Basically, they are restricted to roadways and designated bike lanes on roadways,” St. John said.
Bikes that go above 28 mph and have pedals are illegal. Malnar said he has witnessed some going 40 mph. St. John said in most cases families are removing a governor that limits the bike's speed.
There is not one area of Malnar’s district between, roughly, Peoria Avenue and Bell Road, that has more issues with e-bikes than another.
“I think it’s pretty pervasive,” Malnar said.
The main discussion topic was whether to build age limits into the ordinance.
Conchas said he has heard a lot from Cactus District residents, about the speed and sound of the bikes.
“I would also support that it be limited to people over the age of 16, or those with a valid permit or valid drivers license,” Conchas said. “I read recently about a tragic accident that happened in Pennsylvania where she lost control and ended up in the street and getting hit by a car. Their family is looking for legislation in their community to prevent that happening to anybody else.”
Malnar and Guzman said limiting the use of e-bikes and scooters to age 16 and up was a bit aggressive. Mayor Jerry Weiers was along the same lines.
When prompted to come to a consensus, Tolmachoff favored limiting electric scooters to age 12 and up and e-bikes to age 16 and, as does Conchas. Turner, and Guzman.
“If we set the minimum age to ride an electric scooter at 12 and electric bicycles at 16, I think we wouldn’t have an enforcement issue,” St. John said.
Weiers said he wanted to make sure all kids using these electric scooters and bikes are wearing helmets first and foremost, as did Turner and Tolmachoff.
A robust education program through schools and for adults in Glendale will be a key. Council came to consensus on a warning for a first offense before going to a civil citation. as well as 90-day window before the final ordinance is enforced.
“I think if a person is 16 years old, they should be held accountable, the same as an adult driving the car or a 16-year-old with a license driving the car,” Weiers said.
He believes most current laws should cover this. St. John described most current laws on e-bikes as “minimalist.”
Another debate sprung up on whether scooters and e-bikes can be ridden on sidewalks or only in designated bike lanes and neighborhood streets.
“Riding some of these small scooters on roadways that are very bumpy is more dangerous than a sidewalk, and that causes me some concern,” Malnar said.
He said standard bicycles are allowed on sidewalks, which is much safe than streets.
Turner and Tolmachoff disagreed because of the speed and size of e-bikes.
Sidewalks in the Cactus District can be narrow and some of them end abruptly, Conchas said.
“We heard the word sidewalk as if they’re all the same, and I guarantee you they’re not,” Baldenegro said.
Allowing e-bikes on sidewalks along arterial roads might be feasible from an enforcement perspective, St. John said.
Weiers suggested allowing scooters on sidewalks where the speed limit on the attached street is 25 mph or less. For streets with a higher speed limit they could only be on the roadway in a bike lane. St. John suggested the restrictions would work better if it was sidewalks on roads with higher speeds and streets of slower neighborhood roads.
Staff will now work with the city attorney’s office to draft a proposal for the ordinance.
The main goal is safety for kids and safety for drivers watching for these kids on scooters, Malnar said. He also wants Glendale to allow room for agency and the need for an ability for parents to be to choose for their child.
“The ultimate goal is to have a little bit more mature riders on the e-bikes that have a better understanding of consequences,” Tolmachoff said.
Richard Smith Senior News Editor | Glendale & West Valley Preps
Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.
An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.
For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.
As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.
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