POWELL — E-bikes are everywhere: on the roads, in neighborhoods, at parks and on shared-use trails.
And with them come safety concerns, questions regarding the laws regulating them, and lots of complaints from residents who have seen irresponsible riders.
Powell is following the example of cities such as Dublin and New Albany by implementing a new e-bike education campaign.
The campaign, led by the Powell Police Department, emphasizes rider safety, where cyclists can ride their e-bikes and what actually constitutes a legal e-bike.
Sgt. Jon Weirich presented the campaign to the Powell Development Committee meeting Tuesday night.
Weirich said the biggest concerns are people riding too fast, riding too close to pedestrians and not wearing helmets.
He also emphasized that kids are the primary users of these bikes, which is reflected in the incidents report involving e-bikes.
The report spans from January 2025 to May 2026 and details 47 reported incidents or complaints in 17 months involving e-bikes and other special motorized vehicles.
“There are, as with anything, a small amount of kids that are the ones creating issues for the rest of the people that are abiding by the law, and wearing their helmets and giving people space on the paths,” Weirich said.
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The department developed pamphlet handouts overviewing basic safety tips, and even gave a community presentation similar to the one given to council — but no one attended, Councilman Tyler Herrman said.
“Glad to see the city of Powell addressing this because it’s obviously becoming a concern. If you read social media, parents are scared to death of what’s going to happen and you see it all the time at the intersections,” resident Les Wibberley said during public comment.
The Police Department and city plan to put out educational materials online and may visit nearby Olentangy schools to give presentations regarding e-bike safety when school is back in session.
Assistant City Manager Jeffrey Tyler also said the city has begun looking into signage.
Laws surrounding e-bikes
E-bikes must follow the same laws as other cyclists, including:
- Obeying all traffic signs/signals.
- Riding in the same direction as traffic.
- Yielding to pedestrians.
- Nighttime riding requires a white light in front and a steady or flashing light and reflector in the back
Powell’s city code also requires a cyclists’ e-bike’s motor to be off when riding on a path or sidewalk.
There are also special laws for class 3 e-bikes. To ride this high-class e-bike, riders must be 16 years of age or older and must wear a helmet.
Class 3 is the highest class because of its high-speed capacity.
| Class 1 | Pedal-assist | Max speed: 20 mph | White light in the front and red light and reflectors in the rear required for operating between sunset and sunrise. | Motor engages only when pedaling |
| Class 2 | Throttle-assist | Max speed: 20 mph | White light in the front and red light and reflectors in the rear required for operating between sunset and sunrise. | Motor engages with and without pedaling |
| Class 3 | Pedal-assist | Max speed: 28 mph | Must be 16 years old, wear a helmet and have a driver’s license. Same policy about lights applies. | Motor engages only when pedaling, and must have a speedometer |
Anyone found in violation of these laws can be issued a minor-misdemeanor citation on their first offense and the e-bike can be subject to being impounded, according to a safety flyer.
Weirich said more often than not though, he provides verbal warning for riders when he can.
“We typically, when we’re dealing with juveniles, tend to make contact with parents, whenever we have contact with them, so parents can be aware and can address things at home,” Weirich said.
Now, as part of the campaign, if a police officer observes a kid riding their e-bike safely, they can hand out a coupon for a free scoop of ice cream from Johnson’s Real Ice Cream.
“There may be some older kids that are on e-bikes, we give those to them for wearing helmets. That’s our thinking, is maybe we’ll garner some interest there,” he said.
