Let’s be honest: E-bikes are fun. E-bikes are fast and powerful. They’re easy to park, and you can pedal for miles without breaking a sweat. E-bikes are the perfect transport for getting around Newport, as long as riders are safe and savvy on the road. Plus, using an e-bike instead of a car reduces traffic and carbon emissions.
But e-bikes are also new, and their popularity is growing. So it makes sense that Newport City Council is thinking about ways to regulate them.
Today—Wednesday, Feb. 14—the Rhode Island House Municipal Government and Housing Committee will debate whether to give Newport City Council permission to create ordinances around e-bikes. The bill was introduced by Rep. Lauren H. Carson (D-Dist. 75). The committee is scheduled to meet at 4:30 p.m.
You can watch the proceedings live on Capitol TV.
To be clear: Newport City Council is requesting the right to create ordinances, which will be based on future research and discussion. No specific ordinances have yet been proposed.
This discussion in the State House is a follow-up to a Regular Council Meeting last December, when Newport City Council unanimously passed the resolution that made this bill possible.
Bike Newport Executive Director Bari Freeman responded to questions from Newport City Councilors at the Council Meeting in December, offering perspective on e-bikes and the potential ordinances that may govern them. (You can see a recording here, starting at 26:20).
“These are very real concerns,” she said. “The one word we haven’t talked about yet is education, and that’s probably where all of this needs to reside. We hope that what comes out of this is to shift the attention that we’re talking about from regulation/prohibitions to education.”
This is a Bike Newport specialty, of course: We recently began E-Bike Safety classes; we have In-School Bicycle Safety Programs at Pell Elementary School, Thompson Middle School, and Rogers High School; as well as plans in the works with the Newport County YMCA. Bicycle education is an ongoing process, and our Open Garage sessions teach guests of all ages about road safety and proper maintenance, which is equally important.
“We have to think creatively,” Bari added. “That’s how we’re going to get these results. It’s not by saying that electric bikes can’t be on a certain road, or that people have to have licenses. That’s just difficult to enforce, and it’s short-sighted in terms of our tourism industry—lots of people use e-bikes to explore our City. We want people on these bikes. We want them out of cars. And we want to create an environment where we can do that safely, where people know what to expect. We have to think this through.”
There’s still a long road ahead, even if the bill is approved, and we’ll keep you posted. Residents are always encouraged to share their views with the City Council. This page of the City’s web site explains the many ways to do so.
Stay tuned for more. Be safe out there!
Bike Newport