E-bike and e-scooter regulations coming to Mundelein
Mundelein is joining the growing list of suburbs taking on the battery-powered bikes, scooters and other motorized wheeled machines that have become omnipresent in recent months — and the safety issues that has created.
Responding to a resident’s grievance during Monday’s village board meeting, Mayor Robin Meier said the issue “is under discussion” at village hall.
In a subsequent email, Village Administrator Eric Guenther said the police department will draft for the village board an ordinance establishing rules for electric vehicles not currently regulated by state law.
Guenther said he hopes to see a draft ordinance by year’s end.
Just in the past month, regulations for e-bikes and similar machines have been added to the books in Hoffman Estates, Mount Prospect, Palatine and Prospect Heights. Such ordinances also have been enacted in Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Fox Lake, Hanover Park, Libertyville, Schaumburg and elsewhere.
Libertyville officials went as far as to apply large, blue-and-white decals reading “Walk Your Wheels” on sidewalk corners along a stretch of Milwaukee Avenue and in Cook Park.
In Mundelein, resident Bill Garcia raised the issue Monday night, complaining about people on fast-moving e-scooters who zip past pedestrians without first making their presence known.
“It’s mostly kids,” he said. “Sometimes you get adults.”
Meier responded by acknowledging the restrictions enacted by other towns. “We are also looking into it,” she said.
The pro-biking Ride Illinois organization has said establishing state rules for e-bikes and similar machines is its top priority for the 2026 legislative session.
The concerns aren’t unwarranted.
A 16-year-old Mount Prospect died last month after crashing his two-wheeled e-vehicle into a pickup truck in Arlington Heights. Crashes resulting in serious injuries also have been reported in Huntley, Lake in the Hills and elsewhere.
The Des Plaines-based Northwest Municipal Conference held a summit on e-vehicle regulations last month for its 43 member communities.
Ride Illinois has issued a guide for municipal leaders considering restrictions on e-scooters, e-bikes and more-powerful e-motos. It defines the various machines and suggests elements to include in municipal ordinances — as well as elements to omit.
· Daily Herald Staff Writer Mick Zawislak contributed to this report.