City tackles golf carts, ebikes
ESCANABA — Warm weather has brought new kinds of motorists to Escanaba’s streets, sidewalks and parks — leaving Escanaba Public Safety wondering how to best regulate ebikes and golf carts.
“Historically, we’ve seen a lot of golf carts around the golf course. Now we’re seeing golf carts away from the golf course and in parks, and with ebikes certainly it’s a different speed, different element. So today, we just wanted to have an opportunity to notify everybody what the rules are today, get some feedback, and just maybe consider possible changes at a future meeting,” City Manager Jim McNeil told the council during Thursday’s meeting.
Ebikes are a relatively new but popular mode of transportation that in many ways are similar to mopeds. These battery-powered motorized bicycles can be configured to operate entirely by the force of the motor or can be configured to assist a cyclist by increasing the output of energy — essentially making bikes go faster than would be possible at the speed the cyclist is pedaling.
According to Escanaba Public Safety Captain Darren Smith, the city is relatively limited in how it can police the usage of ebikes because under state law most ebikes are classified the same way traditional bicycles are. It’s only when ebikes can reach speeds of 28 miles per hour — those bikes that are pedal assisted and designated as “Class 3” — that they fall under the rules governing mopeds, which require riders be at least 14 years old and wear a helmet.
Rules regarding bicycles as a whole were a hot-button topic for the city only a few years ago, after a pedestrian was struck by a cyclist leaving a business and stepping onto the Ludington Street sidewalk in 2017. In 2018, the city determined that it was safer to continue to allow cyclist on the sidewalk than to force them onto Ludington Street, where they were more likely to be struck by cars backing out of parking spaces, even if bicycles on the sidewalk posed a risk to pedestrians.
A bike lane being designated on the sidewalk was discussed but never materialized.
Smith told the council Thursday that the ordinance put in place in 2018 barred cyclist from riding on sidewalk in other parts of the city, but those rules only apply if signage is in place warning cyclist to stay on the roadway. Without those signs, traditional bicycles and ebikes can both used sidewalks.
“All that would take is erecting a sign saying no bicycles on the sidewalk, and they can’t have bikes on the sidewalk,” said Smith.
It’s possible that the city could modify the rules with an ordinance, similar to the one recently adopted by the city of Marquette that dictates hours when bikes can be on sidewalks. That ordinance followed Marquette developing an ebike task force to create new rules that are more suitable for regulating the electronic bicycles on the city’s many sidewalks and non-motorized trails.
Those with golf carts could see new rules in the future in Escanaba. Because golf carts are not street legal vehicles, allowing them on the street could require a significant amount of regulation.
“Once you say, okay, Escanaba’s gonna allow golf carts on city streets. Now, you have state laws that you have to follow,” said Smith.
If the city moves to make golf carts acceptable on city streets, the drivers will need to be 16 years of age with a valid drivers license and use hand signals for all turns and stops. Unless crossing the highway, those using a golf cart would only be able to travel at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour, and driving along the highway would be prohibited.
The city has received multiple complaints about golf carts this year, with many of the issues involving golf carts being driven by children.
“It’s mostly kids, you know, it’s our job to keep them safe,” said Smith.
Both ebikes and golf carts will likely be a major topic of discussion at future meetings as the city tries to work out how to best regulate the vehicles.