Hoffman Estates approves regulations for e-bikes and e-scooters

Hoffman Estates village board members unanimously approved regulations for e-bikes, e-scooters and other untitled motor-driven vehicles Monday after months of debate.

Nevertheless, officials remained open to hearing something persuasive at a regional summit on the issue being hosted by the Northwest Municipal Conference next Monday.

“I think at this point we need to pass something, because we can always amend it after the conference meets,” Trustee Karen Mills said. “So, it’s time to do it before we have a major accident.”

In fact, that very evening a 16-year-old Mount Prospect boy died after the e-vehicle he was operating in Arlington Heights collided with a pickup truck. Witnesses told police the teen’s vehicle was traveling 30-40 mph at the time of the crash.

Authorities are unsure what type of e-vehicle the teen was operating. E-bikes come in three different classes and by state law must have their class designation prominently displayed on a sticker on the device. E-bike advocates say anything that exceeds 28 mph should be referred to as an e-moto or “out-of-class electric vehicle.”

Hoffman Estates’ regulations are a tweaked form of those Schaumburg adopted a few months ago, with such exceptions as omitting the ability to impound the vehicles as an enforcement measure.

In Hoffman Estates, e-bikes that travel up to 20 mph are allowed on public streets and paths. E-bikes that travel up to 28 mph and e-scooters that can exceed 10 mph are allowed on streets but not paths.

All such vehicles are prohibited from sidewalks and have a minimum age requirement of 16 years old.

Low-speed e-scooters that don’t exceed 10 mph are prohibited everywhere, including sidewalks.

Suggesting that their lower speed might make them safer, Trustee Gary Stanton question the severity of this last rule.

“You know and I know that there are children out there with these things right now,” he said. “And they do ride on the streets and they also ride on the sidewalks.”

But Hoffman Estates Assistant Corporate Counsel Jana Dickson responded that the village could theoretically be held liable for an accident if it in any way condoned the presence of these low-speed vehicles in places they’ve not been historically expected to be.

The new rules call for a $50 fine per violation in Hoffman Estates.

Village officials said they will begin a communication effort to inform residents that the law is on the books and expected to be obeyed.