SOMERS POINT — City Council voted Oct. 9 to table an ordinance that would have prohibited the operation of E-bikes and other electric vehicles in parts of the city.
Councilwoman Janice Johnston said she felt more research needed to be done before imposing the restrictions, which would ban the vehicles from the bike path and all other city property, including parks, municipal lots, recreational fields and sidewalks.
“I make the motion to table ordinance No. 17 so we have time to do some further research, and hopefully tonight maybe we’ll hear some opinions from the residents as well,” Johnston said.
Three city residents did share their opinions, all against the rules as written.
Jim Smartley, 80, a longtime bartender at the Anchorage Tavern who has lived in the city his entire life, said instead of banning the vehicles, the city should create a program in which youth are educated in their safe use.
“We have a prime opportunity to educate, regulate and create good citizens,” he said. “The proliferation of E-bikes is not the fault of the youngsters, so let’s not punish them for it.”
Smartley suggested working with the schools.
“Let’s teach them the rules of the road, safety and judgment, courtesy to others and kindness,” he said, adding that wearing helmets must be a requirement.
Smartley suggested police officers teach the safety classes, which he believes would forge relationships for everyone’s benefit.
Forcing the riders off the bike path and sidewalks would only jeopardize safety, he said, noting the streets are too narrow for bike lanes.
“Shore Road and New Road are main arteries with heavy traffic and high speed limits. That makes the bike path the only north-south corridor to travel safely,” Smartley said.
He suggested instituting safety measures such as erecting fences near the intersections to slow traffic.
Rob Hopkins, a member of the Somers Point Economic Development Advisory Commission, was more critical in his response.
He said the ordinance regulating the use of E-bikes would not solve the problem of people “wheeling down the bike path at 30 miles an hour, weaving through families of pedestrians.”
“That’s a real issue, but your ordinance doesn’t solve that. Instead, it creates a vague, unenforceable law that burdens our police department with yet another impossible task,” Hopkins said.
He questioned whether the city’s Public Safety Committee or police department had reviewed the ordinance since its introduction Sept. 25.
“Where are the recommendations for that? Why are they not publicly available?” he asked, noting Councilman Howard Dill had asked that the SPPD review the ordinance and provide recommendations before the final vote.
Hopkins said E-bikes are an important source of transportation for many.
“Anyone who has seen children going to school at Jordan Road, Mainland High School, who rely on electric bikes for transportation to school and athletic activities, know that they need somewhere to ride safely, not in the street,” he said. “Your proposed plan would push those children off a safe path and into traffic, detours and road construction. That’s not safety, that’s a liability.”
Jim Oswald, who identified himself as an E-bike owner, said had City Council been proactive nearly three years ago, when he suggested restrictions on E-bikes in February 2023, the boy who was killed in a collision with a car over the summer may still be alive.
“I was told back then that until the state legislates E-bikes, you can’t do anything. Well, as far as I know, it’s still held up in committee in the state,” he said.
Oswald suggested restrictions on the use of E-bikes but not on where they can be operated.
“The main issue that I have observed over the past several years is that the overwhelming concern is the issue of minors,” he said. “It is minors who don’t understand the rules of the road or do not have the brain maturity.”
Oswald said many youths are operating the vehicles unsafely, noting they pile multiple people onto one bike and rarely wear helmets.
“I ask you to put in your order that if they’re designed for one, they must be ridden by just one,” he said. “Also, I think in New Jersey, 17 years old and under must wear helmets. Enforce that because they don’t wear them.”
Like Smartley, he suggested E-bikes be registered.
Oswald said he is also concerned about insurance in the event that a vehicle is damaged by an E-bike, noting motorists must have insurance but that minors do not.
By CRAIG D. CRaig d
SCHENCK
Sentinel staff
SOMERS POINT — Improvements may be coming soon for a longtime eyesore in one of the city’s prominent business districts.
The Somers Point Historical Preservation Commission voted Oct. 8 to designate the site at 920 Shore Road a landmark property in the historic district.
“That’ll open up some doors for the owners to hopefully make those improvements really soon,” City Councilwoman Janice Johnson said during the City Council meeting the following night.
Footmarks Shoe Store operated out of the former home for more than 40 years. In 2021, 920 Shore Road LLC bought the property and went before the Planning Board with a proposal to convert the building into a general store-type market and café serving mostly prepared foods.
Shortly after construction work started, it stalled and the building has stood at the site in a state of advanced disrepair ever since.
At the time, Johnston said the project would be a shot in the arm for the area just north of the Route 52 causeway entrance to Ocean City and also tie in with the city’s historical tourism.
The Atlantic County Historical Society building is across the street and Somers Mansion just to the south.
The property is owned by Dermot and Kathleen Lloyd of Linwood, who also own Josie Kelly’s Public House nearby.
Located in the building on Shore Road that once housed Sandi Pointe Coastal Bistro and Mac’s Restaurant, the Irish-inspired bar and restaurant opened in 2018 and has been a popular addition to the establishments in the area.
Kathleen Lloyd did not respond to a request for comment.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
