NEENAH (NBC 26) — Electric bicycles are rising in popularity and several Fox Cities communities are working together to update how they regulate them.
Neenah, Menasha and Fox Crossing are collaborating on uniform e-bike regulations that would prohibit tricks and racing, require helmets for riders under 16 and give authorities the ability to issue tickets for violations.
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Neenah Alderperson Dan Steiner said the effort has been in the works for some time.
"The ordinance has been a long running effort between the City of Neenah, City of Menasha and Fox Crossing with the idea of one, prioritizing safety and then number two across the communities there's consistency," Steiner said.
Matthew Schuster, a mechanic at Cranked Bike Studio in Neenah, said e-bikes have grown significantly in the area.
"E-bikes is definitely something new to the area and just really new to the bike world and it's really taking off," Schuster said.
Schuster said the bikes drawing the most scrutiny aren't the e-bikes sold in stores like Cranked, where most fall into the “Class 1,” “Class 2,” or “Class 3” categories, designed for speeds between 20 and 28 miles per hour and regulated as bicycles.
Instead it's motorcycle-style electric bikes that can exceed 35–50 miles per hour. These vehicles, often referred to as “unclassified” or “moped-style” e-bikes, blur the line between bicycles and motor vehicles, and in many jurisdictions they require licensing, registration, insurance, and adherence to traffic laws.
"E-bikes that really the issue are the ones that go over 20-28, we some that go 45 miles an hour, 50, 65 miles an hour. Absolutely something that needs to be legislated there," Schuster said.
Many in the biking community felt the current draft of the ordinance was too strict. After hearing that feedback, leaders in Neenah and Menasha are revisiting the language to better reflect the needs of e-bike riders.
Steiner said enforcement would be focused on genuine safety concerns rather than broad ticketing.
"Police Chief Olsen was really clear, the police are not going to be going around being restrictive or trying to ticket everyone. It's making sure that if there's instances that are fundamentally unsafe, that they have the tools available in the municipal code to make sure that area is safe," Steiner said.
Neenah and Menasha will revisit the issue at their next Common Council meetings.
