OCEAN CITY – An ordinance up for a vote before Ocean City Council Thursday would ban low-speed electric bicycles from the boardwalk.
“No person shall operate or use a low-speed electric bicycle, motorized bicycle or low-speed scooter on the boardwalk or boardwalk ramps at any time,” reads ordinance 23-19.
Citizens have appeared before council during the public comment section in recent months asking the city to ban the electric bikes because they pose a hazard when they speed along the busy boardwalk. That complaint has been aired before.
All bicycles are allowed on the boardwalk until noon, but are prohibited after that because of how busy the boardwalk gets with foot traffic, especially during the tourist season.
The ordinance notes that “Ocean City prides itself on being a bicycle-friendly community, a leader in the State of New Jersey ‘Know the Rules of the Road!’ Bike Safety Law and a proponent of safe bike paths designed and maintained for the use and enjoyment of bikers of all ages and abilities.”
It goes on to read that the boardwalk, West Avenue route and north-south bike path “are among the most important and frequently utilized bike paths enjoyed by bicyclists in the city;” but this change is for safety.
“The recent increase in the number of low-speed electric bicycles on the city’s crowded bike paths, including the Boardwalk, have raised concerns about public safety,” according to the ordinance. It notes with the other bike routes, riders will still have “ample safe spaces” to ride other than the boardwalk.
This will be the first reading and introduction of the ordinance. If council approves it, it would come back for a second reading and public hearing at a subsequent meeting.
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
