NAMPA, Idaho — It was a full house at the Nampa Police Department on Tuesday night as officers met with neighbors to go over laws, etiquette and concerns surrounding e-bikes and e-motorcycles in the city.
“I think one of the biggest issues really is that we’re having children ride bikes that go 28, 30, 35, 40 miles an hour in the middle of the road and they have no experience knowing the rules of the road,” Sgt. Doug Harward, who runs the Nampa Police's traffic division, said.
He said the department is working to better educate the public about the rules and laws associated with operating e-bikes and and e-motorcycles in the city.
WATCH: Hear from neighbors and Nampa Police about e-bikes and e-motorcycles
At the well-attended meeting, neighbors voiced concerns and asked questions about safety, enforcement and education.
“The information is not easily accessible. Most of the information is written in legal-ese still,” said Nampa parent Brian Tolley, who rides e-bikes with his kids regularly and wants to see more community outreach.
“Watching these bikes, these kids just don’t know what they’re doing — education, education, education. I’d love for us to not necessarily have more laws, but have an engagement with parents and kids and police officers for them to know this is not okay,” he said.
Other residents, like Kay Dyk, shared concerns over safety in public spaces.
“I told my husband, I said we are no longer taking our granddaughter on the Boise Greenbelt because it’s too dangerous for her to be riding a bike there,” Dyk said.
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Nampa Police is working on ways to make legal information more user-friendly and accessible, with a focus on promoting safe riding. They also encourage the public to report unsafe riding of e-bikes or e-motorcycles on their website or by calling the department's non-emergency line.
“Ultimately, we know e-bikes are here to stay. I think they know that too, but we just want people to be able to ride safely and be able to inhabit the same streets and sidewalks as everybody else,” Harward said.
“I feel empowered. I have information now. I really appreciate being able to talk to the cops, understanding what they do enforce and really what they’re trying to go after,” Tolley added.
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