LOWELL, Mich. — Lowell city leaders are beginning discussions on a proposed ordinance that would regulate the use of electronic bikes in certain parts of the city.
WATCH: 'They’re just going too fast': New e-bike rules being discussed in Lowell
The ordinance was discussed at Tuesday night’s council meeting held at Lowell Middle School, as leaders began working through potential rules and regulations.
Gina Ladner, owner of This, That & Other, a handcrafted and vintage rescue store in downtown Lowell, said she worries about the safety of customers walking in and out of her business.
“They’re going fast on the sidewalk and they’re not watching out for people,” Ladner said when explaining how e-bike riders navigate through downtown. “You can see them weaving in and out of people, in and out of any signs the stores might have on the sidewalk, they’re just going too fast.”
After public comment, city leaders discussed several potential regulations Tuesday night, including:
- The minimum age for e-bike riders
- Definitions for different types of e-bikes
- Where e-bikes would be allowed to operate
- Speed limits for riders
- Potential penalties for violations
Under the current proposed ordinance, violations would be considered civil infractions and could result in a $100 fine.
The ordinance is not finalized, and city leaders plan to consider feedback from residents and council members as they work on a revised version.
“As we go through that process we’ll clean up the ordinance, then obviously take into account public comment as well,” Lowell City Manager Mike Burns said. “We’ll take all of that information and hopefully have a finalized ordinance at some point.”
The proposed ordinance is expected to return for further discussion in October as the city continues working through the details.
For Ladner, establishing clear rules would be a step toward addressing the concerns she and other downtown business owners have about e-bike use.
“We might be more busy down here as a whole, if people didn’t have to deal with the business of the E-bikes,” Ladner said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
