The La Grange Board of Trustees unanimously approved changes Monday to its ordinances regarding e-bikes.
Under the new rules, the battery powered cycles will be allowed on sidewalks outside the downtown area, but those under age 16 or without a driver’s license are prohibited from riding them on any public street, except when accompanied by a parent or guardian. e-bike users also are expected to follow all applicable rules of the road and speed limits.
The issue follows a La Grange Police town hall meeting last month in which residents shared their safety concerns regarding e-bikes.
“The village police department has received numerous complaints about people riding recklessly, going through controlled intersections in an unsafe manner, and near misses or even collisions with both vehicles and pedestrians,” village President Mark Kuchler said.
Kuchler cited the recent death of a 16-year-old boy in an Arlington Heights e-bike accident, and pointed out that nearby municipalities have enacted new rules regarding E-bikes, including Western Springs, Hinsdale, Darien and Burr Ridge.
Village attorney Benjamin Schuster said Illinois updated its regulations in 2017 for electric bicycles that run up to 28 mph, and changed code further in 2024 by adding regulations to electric scooters that travel under 10 mph.
But that left unregulated e-bikes that went more than 28 mph and e-scooters that went more than 10 mph, and left completely unregulated vehicles such as electric skateboards and electric unicycles.
“The vast majority of these e-scooters that you see go faster than 10 mph, and there is no age restriction and no state rules about equipment, there are no state rules about locations where they may be operated, and those are what most people are using,” Schuster said.
Under the new ordinances, each offense could get e-bike users a $100 fine, and parents could also be subject to an additional fine if the ticketed user is under age 16.
Several residents supported the new ordinance when it was unveiled Oct. 13 in draft form.
“I’m happy to see that the village is considering taking action on this issue,” Bob Nelson told the board. “(I’ve) seen enough to conclude that these vehicles are being driven at high speed, recklessly by underage drivers. So I hope you pass the necessary education and the local regulations that you can.”
Nelson said he had been eating outside Aurelio’s when a scooter came between his table and the restaurant with two people on it and at a high rate of speed.
“I’m glad nobody came out of that door, or it would have been a very bad situation,” he said.
Justin Hanson and his two children also spoke about their family’s safety concerns.
“We are very happy as a family that this discussion is taking place,” he said. “Where we live is a very busy intersection and I can tell you, based on my experience and based on a lot of the other experiences that we heard at the town hall about a month ago, that this is the time to address this problem. We are on the right side of this problem.”
He noted that he had personally seen children younger than his 8-year-old son operating e-bikes.
Al Foreman said that parents might want to consider possible liability issues, noting that “there are some potential exposures at risk by allowing their kids to play with these devices.”
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.