Use of e-bikes and e-scooters is “increasing exponentially” in Rye — and so are complaints about them, police say.
There have been complaints about “operating recklessly,” including by young adults, Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy told The Record.
“We get a lot of complaints about kids not operating according to traffic safety laws,” Kopy said. People are not following the rules of the road while using both traditional bicycles and e-bikes, he said. There have been complaints about people riding against traffic, riding on one wheel, and weaving in and out of traffic.
Kopy estimated that the police department receives two such complaints a week, adding that not all incidents are reported or even recorded by officers.
“The Rye Police are constantly on the lookout for e-bikes and regular bikes operating in violation of vehicle and traffic law,” Kopy said. “And we’re seeing it.”
Incidents have included a recent pursuit of three speeding e-bike riders who police learned were 11 years old, after following them from Playland Parkway to Jerry’s Boston Post Road Market.
New York State law prohibits anyone under 16 to operate an e-bike on public roads, the commissioner said, adding that any vehicle that can exceed 25 miles per hour must be registered. Kopy urged parents who buy e-bikes or e-scooters for their children to “teach them the rules of the road,” including the legally-required use of helmets by those under 18.
Brian Dempsey, who chairs the Rye Pedestrian Safety Commission, echoed Kopy’s concerns.
“The main issue has been e-bikes not following traffic rules such as traveling the wrong way on a one-way street, speeding, ignoring stop signs and traffic signals and riding on the sidewalk and getting close to pedestrians,” Dempsey said. “We have been getting more complaints about children recently and expect more now that the warmer weather is here and school is not in session.”
Rye City Schools spokeswoman Sarah Derman said the schools provide guidance about bike and pedestrian safety, but “we have not communicated about e-bikes and or e-scooters.”
Dempsey added that e-bike concerns include adults, as well.
“Another main complaint is that many of the operators, including food delivery drivers, are wearing dark clothing and neither the driver nor the e-bike have any reflectors or lights,” he said. “They are very hard to see at night.”
Complaints, though increasing, have not led to arrests or ticketing. In most cases, especially those involving kids of school age, police involve parents and urge them to teach their children how to ride safely.
Kopy said that his primary concern is public safety.
“Sometimes it’s just been a matter of luck that no one’s been hurt,” he said.
Added Dempsey: “If a bike collides with a two-ton vehicle, there will be serious consequences.”
