Florham Park, N.J.'s new e-bike ordinance comes with potentially hefty fines. Here's how it works.
Florham Park, New Jersey, has created strict guidelines for electric bike riders, and if they are teenagers, their parents could be held responsible for any violations.
It comes in response to law enforcement saying e-bikes are causing havoc in communities all over the state.
Florham Park's new ordinance
Montvale police posted a dramatic crash on social media, showing an e-bike slamming into an SUV. The rider recovered from injuries, but across the Garden State, authorities say deadly e-bike accidents are on the rise.
In Florham Park, a new ordinance now regulates e-bikes in a borough with a busy business district along strip malls.
The new rules apply to both scooters and e-bikes, requiring them to remain on the right side of the road, obey traffic rules, and stay off sidewalks and borough property.
Riders under 17 also have to wear a helmet.
"I just want to do whatever needs to be done to keep the kids safe," Florham Park resident Jeff Jacobs said.
"From what I understand, they can go up to 25 mph and there are ways to rig it so you can go over 25 mph," East Hanover resident Arthur Mensing said.
Florham Park Mayor Mark Taylor says before the new law, e-bike riders, some of them teens who were never taught road rules, were causing havoc.
"We had an incident with a FedEx driver who got hit as he came out of his vehicle to make a delivery on someone's front porch," Taylor said.
Hefty fines possible, but police say that's not the goal
Police say fines start at $250 and can go as high as $500, and e-bikes can even be impounded. However, they say the goal here isn't to punish riders but to keep them safe.
"Our officers are not going to work every day looking to write a 12- or 13-year-old a motor vehicle summons," Lt. Brian Ford said. "The whole purpose behind this is to correct the unsafe behavior and trying to keep kids and their families out of the motor vehicle system."
As for teens, their parents are responsible for fines that can go up to $1,000 on a third offense.
Some say they think the policy is extreme.
"They never get in my way, so I say let the kids play," Florham Park resident Dino Colantino said.
Police say riders can also get a warning for doing wheelies and not having lights in the dark.
