OCEAN CITY — After getting an education from folks who said electric bikes are the only way they can pedal the boardwalk, Ocean City Council tabled a resolution that would ban e-bikes year-round.
Multiple people spoke up during public comment at Thursday evening’s meeting, a majority opposing the ban that was proposed after others asked that the motorized bikes be prohibited from the boardwalk for safety reasons. Proponents of the ban also weighed in at the meeting.
Council members said they learned a lot about the variety of e-bikes from those who spoke and others who emailed and called them after the ban was proposed. They said they were educated about the differences between the heavier e-bikes with throttles that have become commonplace around the resort and can pose a danger to pedestrians on the crowded boardwalk and other e-bikes that provide an assist when pedaling becomes difficult.
Because they realized there was much more to the issue, council voted 6-1 on a motion by Terry Crowley Jr. to table the ordinance and study it more carefully to find a balance between safety and access.
Resident Clark Manley, who said he has been riding e-bikes the past few years, suggested having modified hours limiting access to e-bikes and signage to specify rules and regulations around their use. He said it was “too drastic” to keep them off entirely.
Bill Eberly, who identified himself as a 73-year-old resident with a heart condition, uses an e-bike to exercise every morning. He said there was a lot of emotion surrounding the issue but little data. He suggested limiting use during the two busy summer months.
“Take a more sound and logical approach instead of a sledgehammer approach,” Eberly said.
Resident Robin Shaffer said the city could run afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act and open itself up to legal action if it didn’t provide reasonable accommodations to people who need them.
“I don’t believe you should take it away from people who have no other way of riding the boards,” Shaffer said. “It’s a pretty drastic step to ban them outright. This is the tail wagging the dog.”
Susan Cracovaner thanked council for addressing safety issues.
“The decision to ban them may seem drastic, but the city is acting in accordance with responsibility,” she said.
Cracovaner noted e-bikes weigh two to three times more than regular bicycles, meaning their impact would be two to three times greater during a collision with walkers, bikers or surreys that are all creating a lot of movement on the boardwalk.
Many ride responsibly, she said, but many don’t and in highly congested areas the chances for an accident increase.
“E-bikes provide seniors an outlet, but with increasing age comes decreased reaction times with more potential for accident or injury,” Cracovaner said.
Other speakers pointed out the difference between the types of e-bikes, from the larger bikes with throttles to those that are pedal-assisted. Councilman Tom Rotondi said he talked with a bike shop owner and learned there is a great variety of e-bikes that can make them hard to tell apart.
Bernadette Bechta said she appreciated the efforts of the mayor and Ocean City Police Department to keep everyone safe, but she opposed a ban on e-bikes on the boardwalk. (The ban would not apply to other main bike routes on West Avenue and the north-south route.)
She said many young people use them to get to work and that perhaps council could limit their use to the early morning hours before the boardwalk gets busy in the summer.
Bechta also said there was a bias against e-bikes and that after a double knee replacement, riding an e-bike is her therapy. She personally has a bias against double-strollers and surreys and asked if she should attend the next council meeting to complain about them.
She suggested the city should focus on the “bad actors,” and not punish everyone for the riding transgressions of the few.
Council Vice President Karen Bergman was the only one to vote against tabling the issue, fearing that would delay it so long there would be no solution to address safety during this summer season. She advocated for approving it and revising it before second reading to consider a ban during the busiest hours from May 15 through Columbus Day weekend.
Like other council members, Bergman said she was glad all the citizens came out to speak during public comment and for those who emailed her. And, like the others, she learned more about the pedal-assist. Before getting that feedback, she said, she was all for the ban for safety reasons.
Crowley said with both opponents and proponents of the ban passionate about the issue, he liked Bergman’s suggestion but didn’t want the council to rush it.
“To sit here and make a gut decision, we’re going to miss something,” he said, suggesting instead council get everyone in the room and work through the process.
Rotondi agreed. “I don’t want to shoot from the hip without having enough information,” he said. “I don’t want to punish everyone for a handful of people … I want to come up with a solution that makes sense.”
Councilman Bobby Barr said something needs to be done about teen riders on e-bikes, but the city can’t discriminate against those with disabilities and the elderly.
“We must send a message to teens this won’t be tolerated,” he said. “I’m a fierce advocate for people with disabilities. We have to find a way to use the bikes. I’m not sure what that is.”
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff