Be aware of new legislation for e-bikes, micromobility and more

With holiday shopping around the corner, parents should take heed of new e-bike/e-moto legislation taking effect in January.

Terri Gens, Mount Prospect trustee and chair of the Northwest Municipal Conference Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, raised an interesting point at the committee’s September meeting: How are municipalities planning to communicate the new statewide micromobility legislation to their residents?

The village of Wheeling has one answer. Some background first.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed the new micromobility legislation (SB3484) in late August, preempting all other local ordinances in Illinois covering e-bikes, e-scooters and various e-moto devices. It takes effect Jan. 1.

The statewide legislation replaces a patchwork of ordinances that municipalities, particularly in northeastern Illinois, had previously adopted in reaction to a public outcry about the use and misuse of these devices, especially among youth.

Wheeling’s answer is a social media campaign to alert residents, especially parents, to the new regulations before they make some expensive holiday purchases for their kids. Village Manager Jon Sfondilis responded to questions about this creative initiative in a recent phone interview.

Sfondilis explained that the campaign involves a series of eight topics over eight weeks to “get ahead of anyone making a purchase and then getting angry when told their kids can’t ride it.”

This campaign originated from discussions with the Wheeling Police Department regarding how officers would handle violations involving micromobility devices.

“What do you do with a 12-year-old? Write them a ticket, arrest them? Confiscate the bike?”

“It’s not meant to be an enforcement campaign,” Sfondilis continued. “Through education, it’s more a prevention effort vs. enforcement. The only way we can really manage it is to get ahead of it.”

‘Know Before You Buy’

With a hashtag “Before They Ride,” the campaign was introduced at an early November village council meeting and then announced through Wheeling’s Instagram, Facebook and X channels. The village also maintains a webpage with links to state resource information about micromobility devices and the Illinois Vehicle Code.

“Age Isn’t a Suggestion” is just one of the eight topics. It underlines the minimum age requirements for various devices: at least 16 to operate a class 3 e-bike and 18 to operate a low-speed scooter. “Know Before You Buy” reminds parents to be aware of new laws taking effect Jan. 1. “Helmet On, Sidewalk Off” refers to e-bikes not allowed on sidewalks.

Sfondilis noted that in 2025, when various municipalities were establishing their own ordinances, Wheeling held back, recognizing that state legislation would be introduced to resolve the issues.

“We have the structure now through the law to do something about it.”

Trail filling Wayne Township gap

Planning for the Klein Road Trail earned mostly positive feedback, in person and online, in September from Wayne Township residents in DuPage County’s northwest corner, according to Township Highway Commissioner Martin McManamon.

This 3.4-mile trail, an eight-foot-wide paved path primarily along Klein’s west side, is one of the last and largest projects in Wayne Township’s 2015 Bicycle Plan. Wayne Township is unique. Currently, no other Illinois township is known to have developed its own bike plan.

With Phase 1 planning already completed and funded by the road district, the township recently applied for Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program funding for the Klein Road Trail’s engineering and construction. The total estimated project cost is $5 million.

The trail will fill bike network gaps for residents of six township communities: Bartlett, Carol Stream, Hanover Park, St. Charles, Wayne and West Chicago. It will facilitate connections to the Illinois Prairie Path, Great Western Trail and North Central DuPage Trail, plus key destinations like Bartlett High School to the north and West Chicago’s Benjamin Middle School to the south.

The project also includes a new bridge across the West Branch of the DuPage River off St. Charles Road enabling users to circle the West Branch Forest Preserve via the Fair Oaks Road path and the West Branch River Trail.

Bicycling Legislative Scorecard

A summary of the 2026 micromobility legislation (SB3484) can be found in the 2026 Legislative Scorecard updated in September by Ride Illinois, statewide nonprofit advocacy group for biking. Condensed summaries of 11 other biking and transportation-related legislative bills are included, having been signed into Illinois law since 2023.

Two other bills passed in 2026 are the Intelligent Speed Assistance program (HB4948) and the State Speed Limit Reform bill (HB5081). As with most of this legislation, both amend the Illinois Vehicle Code.

HB4948 allows motorists with revoked/suspended licenses, following repeated speeding offenses, to operate a vehicle provided it is equipped with technology that prevents exceeding posted speed limits. HB5081 allows communities to set lower speed limits by ordinance without requiring a traffic study, providing more flexibility in controlling local traffic.

Other legislative summaries include bills passed from 2023-25. In 2025, bikes with two or more wheels, like tricycles, were included in the legal definition of bicycles (SB2285). The 2025 Micromobility Fire Safety legislation (SB2247) requires that electrical systems and batteries for e-bikes and e-scooters meet safety standards certified by an accredited lab. It prohibits assembling or reconditioning rechargeable lithium-ion batteries from used ones.

The scorecard also lists the voting records of current Illinois state senators and representatives. In 2026, 42 of 59 senators scored 100% for supporting the three bills mentioned as did 66 of 118 representatives. Their voting records for all 13 bills since the 2023-24 General Assembly are displayed.

• Join the ride. Contact Ralph Banasiak at alongfortheridemail@gmail.com.