As more and more stories accumulate of negative interactions with children riding electric scooters and bicycles on village streets, Oak Lawn is taking action with new regulations.
The village voted 6-0 on Tuesday in favor of updating traffic code to define e-bikes and e-scooters and restrict riders’ ages, motor wattage and riding locations.
“We’ve all experienced some type of incident involving the scooters throughout the village of Oak Lawn,” Mayor Terry Vorderer said Wednesday. He said his own recent experience included a close call with a child on a scooter riding alongside his vehicle in the dark.
“Thank God I caught him out of the corner of my eye, because he had no wherewithal of what he was doing and I slammed on the brakes,” Vorderer said.
Under the ordinance, scooters exceeding 10 mph cannot be used on roads with speed limits above 35 mph, and riders must be 16 or older. Other restrictions ban passengers on scooters, which Vorderer said are a frequent issue, and scooters on sidewalks.
Instituting the guidelines was an easy sell, Vorderer said.
Oak Lawn’s ordinance change follows similar restrictions instituted by neighboring Evergreen Park and northwest suburbs such as Morton Grove as popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters grows among youth. Some towns, such as Norridge, have outright banned e-bikes and e-scooters, but Vorderer said Oak Lawn opted for a less strict approach.
The village focused less on e-bike regulations, but new guidelines define “bicycles” to include low-speed electric bikes while prohibiting those under 16 from riding e-bikes that reach speeds between 20 and 28 mph.
For violations, the ordinance establishes fines of up to $750, but Vorderer said a $50 ticket is standard and police were instructed to notify parents of children in violation.
He said the Police Department plans to develop programming informing residents of the changes before enforcing them.
“Before we begin harsh penalties, we want to educate the community,” Vorderer said.
Vorderer said the Village Board has publicly discussed instituting restrictions for about six months, and has not faced pushback from residents or businesses.
“There was plenty of opportunity for feedback, and I haven’t received any negative feeling about it,” Vorderer said.
Community High School District 218 spokesperson Andrea Azzo declined to be interviewed, she said in a statement the district supports “the measures deemed necessary by the village of Oak Lawn to ensure the safety of its residents.”
“While few of our students currently utilize e-scooters or e-bikes for their commute to Richards High School, we stand ready to assist and cooperate with Village leadership on the implementation of these regulations,” Azzo said.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
