From students riding e-bikes to school to commuters using scooters to reach bus stops, alternative forms of transportation are becoming increasingly common across the Lehigh Valley, prompting state lawmakers to consider new safety regulations designed to keep pace with the growing trend.<\/p>\n
That growth was the focus of a Sept. 1 Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing at the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, where transportation planners, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, local advocates and lawmakers discussed how communities are adapting to the rapid rise of e-scooters, e-bikes and other micromobility devices. Proposed legislation would establish statewide rules for privately owned e-scooters while helping municipalities address safety concerns.<\/p>\n
Sen. Tim Kearney, D-26th, said lawmakers are trying to create a framework that balances transportation access with public safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are devices that come with certain risks, especially for children or when ridden recklessly,\u201d Kearney said. \u201cWe need to find a way to provide for proper regulation for these devices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Safety concerns have surfaced locally in recent weeks. In August, Salisbury Township police reported two separate crashes involving juveniles riding electric bicycles and scooters and reminded residents that electric scooters are not permitted on public roadways under current Pennsylvania law. Police said both crashes occurred when riders failed to stop at posted stop signs and entered the path of oncoming traffic.<\/p>\n
Kearney said Abby\u2019s Law, Senate Bill 1008, would establish statewide standards for privately owned e-scooters, including a minimum rider age of 16, mandatory helmet use for riders ages 16 and 17, a one-rider limit and a maximum speed of 20 mph.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo people on a single scooter, it\u2019s a recipe for disaster,\u201d Kearney said.<\/p>\n
The proposal would also require riders to obey traffic laws, yield to pedestrians and use lights and reflectors at night.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur municipalities, our police departments, our neighbors and the safety of our children desperately need clarity and leadership from the legislature on this issue,\u201d Kearney said.<\/p>\n
Committee Chairman Sen. Nick Miller, D-14th, said lawmakers gathered testimony from transportation experts, law enforcement officials and advocates because micromobility issues are affecting communities across Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing the challenges in urban environments, suburbs and rural areas as well,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n
One of the hearing\u2019s strongest messages came from Becky Bradley, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, who said e-scooters, e-bikes and other mobility devices are already becoming part of daily life throughout the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe toothpaste is out of the tube,\u201d Bradley said.<\/p>\n
She said Lehigh Valley residents already use a variety of micromobility devices to reach jobs, schools, doctor\u2019s appointments and transit connections.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople today in the Lehigh Valley, and actually all across the commonwealth, are using e-bikes, pedal bikes, traditional bikes, scooters, e-scooters, Jazzy mobility devices and other accessibility devices to do daily tasks,\u201d Bradley said.<\/p>\n
Bradley said the issue is especially important in a region that continues to grow while working to expand transportation options beyond automobiles.<\/p>\n
\u201cMicromobility is rapidly evolving from an emerging trend to a core component of the modern transportation system,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission has incorporated micromobility into several recent initiatives, including its Walk\/Roll LV transportation plan, climate action planning efforts and the Lehigh Valley Trail Connection Strategy.<\/p>\n
She said improved infrastructure remains one of the most important safety tools available.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtected bike lanes and pedestrian plazas are among some of the most effective tools for creating safer, equitable and accessible transportation networks,\u201d Bradley said.<\/p>\n
Bradley also pointed to changing travel habits among students.<\/p>\n
\u201cA growing number of children arrive at school on e-scooters and e-bikes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
As micromobility use expands, education must accompany any new legislation, Bradley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople need clear, consistent guidance on how and where to ride,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said statewide consistency is needed as micromobility devices become more common.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe commonwealth needs statewide legal frameworks for both low-speed e-scooters and micromobility devices more broadly,\u201d said Hank Beaver, a special assistant to the deputy secretary for multimodal transportation.<\/p>\n
Beaver said the department believes most low-speed e-scooters should be regulated similarly to bicycles.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost low-speed scooters should be regulated much the same as pedal cycles,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Transportation advocates said the issue extends beyond recreation and increasingly affects how people travel throughout communities.<\/p>\n
Samantha Pearson, healthy communities program manager for the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, and Ngani Ndimbie, director of programs for Mobilify Southwestern Pennsylvania, said micromobility devices provide affordable transportation options and help connect residents to jobs, schools and public transit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really easy to buy something that\u2019s marketed as an e-bike that does not meet the legal definition of an e-bike,\u201d Ndimbie said.<\/p>\n
Throughout the hearing, speakers emphasized that the Lehigh Valley\u2019s growing network of trails, bike lanes and transit connections will require transportation planning that accommodates many different types of users.<\/p>\n
Bradley said successful transportation systems must safely connect people to work, education, health care and recreation regardless of how they travel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we continue to work together and refine the laws and how people can get to those jobs, those places of business, those schools, those medical appointments, those parks and recreation facilities, we will have a healthier, more sustainable and more economically attractive and resilient commonwealth,\u201d Bradley said.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers said testimony from the hearing will help shape future legislation as the General Assembly considers how to regulate e-scooters and other micromobility devices while balancing transportation access and public safety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From students riding e-bikes to school to commuters using scooters to reach bus stops, alternative forms of transportation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":283925,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":["post-283924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/283925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}