Thanks for this thoughtful, detailed post and your initiation of discussion of these issues with the police and city staff. This is an important safety issue. As much as I love seeing people (especially kids) increasingly getting around town on two wheels, I have serious safety concerns about not only e-motos, but even class 2 and 3 e-bikes being ridden at 20 mph (or up to 28 mph for class 3) on trails.
I was recently riding through a tunnel under Jefferson Parkway at Highway 246, on the right side of the trail, when a kid came flying around the far corner of the tunnel at high speed and nearly hit me head-on. It’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed in such an incident.
Education by the police and city is important; enforcement needs to happen too.
You're welcome, Bruce. I had a similar experience to yours, but it was on the East Cannon River paved trail.
There are several turns on that trail where you can't see very far ahead of you because of the close proximity of trees/vegetation. And there are no painted center lines at the curves to remind riders to stay to the right.
I almost got hit head-on by a guy on an e-moto who had drifted to the center around one of those curves and seemed to be going at least 25 MPH.
I hope the city treats this as reason to move now, not just study it further.
Great reporting Griff...As a sidewalker (inside and outside) for many years, I have seen "ebikes" moving very quickly along Division street sidewalks....
I wish to include all "bikes" when it comes to sidewalks...I've had kids whiz by me when walking, no bell, no horn, just fast by..they do the same downtown and anyone stepping out of Blue Monday for example had better look both ways....
I am also a bicyclist and love the local trails...signage needs to be improved as well..
Thank you Paul. I know exactly what you mean about looking both ways when stepping out of a downtown establishment along Division Street. I trained myself to look both ways years ago before there was such a thing as e-bikes because of the close calls I had with bikers on the sidewalks.
Thanks Griff! I’ve been increasingly alarmed in NoFo with all the kids on motorized bikes & scooters. What is the legal age for motorized bikes and scooters, if at all?
I’ve also seen lots of little kids zooming across Hwy 3 at intersections and nearly getting hit by traffic. Do parents realize that their kids are doing this?
I thought it was verboten to ride bikes and scooters on all city sidewalks—it sounds like only downtown NoFo?
If the police are leaning on education as their main tool, they better up their game otherwise we’re going to end up with what happened in Hastings or worse. What can we citizens do?
Christine, for e-scooters, the minimum age is 12. For e-bikes, it's 15. For e-motos, it's 16.
Bikes, scooters, e-bikes, and e-scooters can be ridden on sidewalks except in downtown.
The Police Chief thinks that most parents don't realize that there are laws for e-motos that are different than e-bikes. I don't doubt him, but I don't know of anyone who's actually collected data on that.
As for what citizens can do, I would suggest speaking at a City Council meeting during open mic, as well as contacting your Ward rep. See: https://www.northfieldmn.gov/118/City-Council
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Griff,
Thanks for this thoughtful, detailed post and your initiation of discussion of these issues with the police and city staff. This is an important safety issue. As much as I love seeing people (especially kids) increasingly getting around town on two wheels, I have serious safety concerns about not only e-motos, but even class 2 and 3 e-bikes being ridden at 20 mph (or up to 28 mph for class 3) on trails.
I was recently riding through a tunnel under Jefferson Parkway at Highway 246, on the right side of the trail, when a kid came flying around the far corner of the tunnel at high speed and nearly hit me head-on. It’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed in such an incident.
Education by the police and city is important; enforcement needs to happen too.
You're welcome, Bruce. I had a similar experience to yours, but it was on the East Cannon River paved trail.
There are several turns on that trail where you can't see very far ahead of you because of the close proximity of trees/vegetation. And there are no painted center lines at the curves to remind riders to stay to the right.
I almost got hit head-on by a guy on an e-moto who had drifted to the center around one of those curves and seemed to be going at least 25 MPH.
I hope the city treats this as reason to move now, not just study it further.
Are e-motos legal on the bike trails?
No, they're not, Christine. State law.
Great reporting Griff...As a sidewalker (inside and outside) for many years, I have seen "ebikes" moving very quickly along Division street sidewalks....
I wish to include all "bikes" when it comes to sidewalks...I've had kids whiz by me when walking, no bell, no horn, just fast by..they do the same downtown and anyone stepping out of Blue Monday for example had better look both ways....
I am also a bicyclist and love the local trails...signage needs to be improved as well..
Thank you Paul. I know exactly what you mean about looking both ways when stepping out of a downtown establishment along Division Street. I trained myself to look both ways years ago before there was such a thing as e-bikes because of the close calls I had with bikers on the sidewalks.
Thanks Griff! I’ve been increasingly alarmed in NoFo with all the kids on motorized bikes & scooters. What is the legal age for motorized bikes and scooters, if at all?
I’ve also seen lots of little kids zooming across Hwy 3 at intersections and nearly getting hit by traffic. Do parents realize that their kids are doing this?
I thought it was verboten to ride bikes and scooters on all city sidewalks—it sounds like only downtown NoFo?
If the police are leaning on education as their main tool, they better up their game otherwise we’re going to end up with what happened in Hastings or worse. What can we citizens do?
Christine, for e-scooters, the minimum age is 12. For e-bikes, it's 15. For e-motos, it's 16.
Bikes, scooters, e-bikes, and e-scooters can be ridden on sidewalks except in downtown.
The Police Chief thinks that most parents don't realize that there are laws for e-motos that are different than e-bikes. I don't doubt him, but I don't know of anyone who's actually collected data on that.
As for what citizens can do, I would suggest speaking at a City Council meeting during open mic, as well as contacting your Ward rep. See: https://www.northfieldmn.gov/118/City-Council
Thanks for chiming in!