The Select Board on Tuesday discussed safety concerns around the escalating use of electric bicycles in town, particularly on trails and in the downtown area.
Trails Committee chair Peter LaGoy told the board that over the past six months, the use of e-bikes had detrimentally impacted town trails.
While there are benefits to e-bike use, he said that young people have been damaging the trails with them, as well as speeding and nearly clipping trail users. The Trails Committee proposed recommending a 10 mph speed limit for e-bikes and traditional bicycles on trails.
Stressed LaGoy: “As far as I know, we haven’t had an accident on the trails yet. But it’s only a matter of time.”
The Trails Committee began looking at the issue a year ago, he said. Because the number of e-bike users has increased dramatically, he asked for the board’s help in what he called a “town-wide issue.” He said he has seen e-bikes “buzzing down the middle of Main Street at 25 mph.”
LaGoy stressed a two-pronged approach of education and enforcement. This would balance the positives of e-bike use with an emphasis on safety.
“I see this as: Are we doing everything we can to inform people, educate them and really just make sure that we’re viewing this from a public safety perspective?” said chair Joe Clark.
Clark invited Deputy Police Chief Scott van Raalten and Fire Chief Gary Daugherty to speak about their concerns regarding e-bike use. They both stressed the need for safety, but they looked at it from different angles.
“This is another instance where technology has outpaced the Legislature,” said van Raalten. “There’s really nothing other than enforcing the helmet law that we as a police department can do.”
He explained that e-bikes are not required to be registered by the state. The only law is that individuals under age 17 must wear helmets. Town ordinances can be drafted to regulate e-bike use on non-paved trails.
Van Raalten suggested creating an educational campaign in cooperation with the schools. He also talked about educating parents about e-bike safety, since they are more likely to buy the bikes for their teens.
He noted that e-bikes have to follow the same rules as bikes. They include not riding on the sidewalk and stopping at red lights.
Daugherty mentioned a concern with e-bike batteries. Improper charging and storage has led to an increase in house fires nationally, he said.
Member Amy Ritterbusch noted that other towns have sandwich boards on trailheads with rules for e-bike use.
“I would not mind being one of the pioneering towns formulating something creatively that satisfies all this,” added vice chair Shahidul Mannan.
Van Raalten noted that it is hard for the HPD to enforce traffic laws now in town without adding e-bike speed limit enforcement to its purview.
Member Brian Herr suggested a Town Meeting article creating an e-bike bylaw. He said if the town could initiate a policy that would include impounding the e-bikes of repeat offenders, “I think we’d get down the path pretty quickly, pardon the pun.”
Whalen honored for commitment to town
Mike Whalen appeared before the board to discuss upcoming activities in advance of Veterans Day on Nov. 11. The longtime volunteer and member of veterans committees in town was unaware that this appearance also was arranged to honor him for his contributions.
He noted that the Hopkinton Historical Society, located at 168 Hayden Rowe Street, is holding an exhibit on the town’s military history on Nov. 8-9 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
On Veterans Day, there will be an annual ceremony honoring veterans at the Senior Center beginning at 11 a.m. It will feature speakers and provide opportunities for veterans from different generations to connect, Whalen said.
That evening, the Veterans Celebration Committee, which Whalen chairs, will host an appreciation dinner for veterans at the Woodville Rod & Gun Club at 252 Wood Street.
The annual Toys for Tots drive, for which Whalen is a volunteer manager, kicks off Nov. 12. A box will be located in the police station’s lobby until mid-December to collect donations.
Regular activities for veterans include a monthly breakfast on the first Friday of the month at the Senior Center, he added.
Fellow veteran Ken Weismantel, the chair of the Community Preservation Committee, presented Whalen with a plaque from the CPC in honor of his performing the restoration work on the stone bridge on the Southborough border for free.
“You know that Mike’s such a humble guy that he would not show up here if it was an agenda item,” Weismantel said.
Replied Whalen: “That’s right.”
“Obviously, it’s much appreciated to receive recognition from your peers,” he added. “This is a very special moment for me.”
A lot of people don’t bother to obey the “Pets must be leashed” signs on the trails, so what makes anyone think that any E-Bike law is going to be followed. Calling the police doesn’t do any good as the culprits are long gone before they can get there.