Daily Herald opinion: Commonsense legislation: Bill regulating e-bikes, e-motos, e-scooters is overdue

Biking season is here.

In the past, that meant tuning up your bike, dusting off your helmet and hitting the trails and roads. This routine, however, has evolved considerably in recent years.

Thanks to technology, biking might involve charging up your e-bike, e-scooter or e-moto and zipping around the suburbs with astonishing speed.

These new modes of transportation make it much easier for riders to travel farther and go faster than traditional bikes. That extra power, however, can lead to dangerous consequences.

Tragically, a suburban teen died last year when he ran a stop sign on his e-moto and crashed into a pickup truck in Arlington Heights.

Doctors are seeing more injuries related to these devices as well.

Yet, as with many advancements, innovation has outpaced safety regulations.

You’ve probably seen kids cruising along and wondered whether they are old enough, or responsible enough, to be riding electric devices — often without helmets. At the same time, some of you, no doubt, have had close calls on sidewalks or roads with electronic vehicles.

That same night the teen was killed, Arlington Heights trustees were debating new regulations on the vehicles.

These discussions were not unique to Arlington Heights. In fact, similar debates have occurred across the suburbs, with towns enacting their own rules to address the growing issue.

However, as we’ve stressed before, a patchwork system of laws can’t provide the necessary guidelines and restrictions when riders can easily travel between communities by simply crossing the street.

Illinois needs a statewide solution, and that now appears to be on the horizon.

On Wednesday, the Illinois Senate unanimously passed legislation that regulates these electronic devices.

Under the measure, riders of e-bikes and e-motos that travel more than 28 mph would need a driver’s license, title, registration and insurance.

Riders of any high-speed micromobility device — including electric scooters and skateboards — would have to be 16 years old. They would also be banned from riding over 28 mph on streets, sidewalks and bike trails.

The bill goes on to address how these vehicles are marketed and sold.

“This is exactly the kind of forward-looking legislation Illinois needs as new technology reshapes how people travel,” State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, an Aurora Democrat who is sponsoring the bill in the House, said in a press release. “By setting clear statewide rules for higher-speed devices, we are protecting riders, reducing confusion for law enforcement and helping prevent avoidable tragedies before they happen.”

We encourage the Illinois House to move with urgency to pass this bill and for Gov. JB Pritzker to sign it into law.

This is the kind of legislation that can save lives, and not a moment should be wasted making that happen.