FAIRMONT– Fairmont Police Chief Mike Beletti spoke during Monday’s city council meeting to provide some information on E bikes and E scooters safety and regulations.

“We went over this a month or so ago when we really started to see E bikes and motorized equipment out on our streets and causing issues and we were in the middle of a legislative session, hoping to see some positive change with helmet requirements, a little more clarification… unfortunately we really didn’t see any change so I think we’ll just have to tackle this locally to start,” Beletti said.

He shared that there are three classes of E bikes: class one with pedal assist, class two with pedal and throttle up to 20 mph and class three with pedal assist only that goes up to 28 mph.

Beletti said the minimum age requirement is 15 years old and that no one under that age should be riding those E bikes on public streets.

“For an E bike less than 750 watts, we were hoping for that helmet requirement for our minors and people under 18 years old but unfortunately that’s not under state statute at this time but we would strongly encourage that. It takes just one small mistake to ruin an entire life,” Beletti said.

For above 750 watts, there is a different classification and if you’re under 1,500 watts you must be over 16 years old and have a driver’s license and have the bike registered with the state. E motos also exceeding 750 watts require driver’s license, insurance and registration.

Speaking of E scooters, Beletti acknowledged that they’re popular among youth but pointed out you must be 12 years old to ride them.

“There is a helmet requirement there if you’re under 18 years old,” he said.

As to why these E bikes and E scooters are causing problems, Beletti said they’re popular because they’re easy to get around, but pointed out they also go much faster than traditional bikes and scooters.

“We do like to promote people getting out and about and out of their homes and off their video game systems… but with that speed and the lack of knowledge and rules of the road, that’s how crashes are occurring,” Beletti said.

He said the bikes can be ridden in the street along the right hand curb but that traffic rules need to be followed, which many 15 year olds wouldn’t know unless they’ve gone through driver’s training.

“We strongly suggest head gear for those under 18 years old and even those above 18 years old,” Beletti said.

Finally, Beletti encouraged families to make their own rules at home which he pointed out could be stricter than state statute or a city ordinance He said the department is going to start enforcing by providing education.

Beletti said the city’s ordinance regarding this matter was last updated in 1984 and that there have been many changes since then. He said some cities in the state, including Blaine, are opting to tighten up their own ordinances on E bikes to be stricter than state statute when it comes to helmet requirements.

Council Member James Kotewa asked if the Beletti’s recommendation was to tighten up the ordinance like Blaine did.

“Absolutely. We’re getting complaints about these quite frequently…. I think we need to do something and just go along with everyone else. We’re trying to make things better here and keep everyone safe,” Beletti said.

Council Member Britney Kawecki said it would be helpful if the department could come up with a recommended ordinance to present to the council and Beletti said they could work on that.