Bridgeport council debates draft e‑bike ordinance, signals support for safety training pilot

The Bridgeport City Council spent the bulk of a June 22 special meeting debating a draft e‑bike ordinance that city staff prepared as a starting point for policy and community input. Police Chief Rogers presented the draft as a working document and emphasized that "this isn't the finalized draft" but rather a framework to "elicit conversation," including safety training, age restrictions and possible sticker programs.

Chief Rogers told the council that state law treats many e‑bikes the same as traditional bicycles, limiting local authority to distinguish class 1 and class 2 devices. "In the state of West Virginia because of the way that the state law views bicycles and class one and class 2 e‑bikes, we're very limited in the authority to change one without altering the other," he said.

Councilman Kenny pushed back on mandatory requirements aimed at children, arguing the draft risked "encroaching on parental responsibility." "It's a parent's job to raise their child and to train their child," he said, adding he supported voluntary education but opposed government‑mandated training for all youths.

Other council members and staff focused on practical steps the city can take now. Several councilors compared a training approach to hunter safety or driver education, suggesting school‑based outreach or a short online course. Officer Hammer and Chief Rogers volunteered to help run programs; staff said a commercial online course is available for about $12 per participant and that community development funds could be used to pilot training.

Legal counsel and staff warned the council that the draft must reflect state constraints. "The state law requires the class one and the class two bicycles to be treated like traditional bicycles," a staff attorney (John) said, noting that the council has more flexibility over class 3 e‑bikes and over city property but less over ordinary public streets.

Public commenter Miss Hot urged strong limits on sidewalk riding, saying "it should not be on sidewalks" and recounting near misses and prior local injuries. Several council members said they favored starting with education rather than heavy enforcement and asked staff to craft options for alternative, nonmonetary penalties (for example, mandatory training ordered by municipal court) if voluntary programs prove insufficient.

No vote was taken on the ordinance. Council directed staff to gather public feedback, to explore a fast‑start training pilot (using existing budget allocations), and to return with refined language and implementation options for further consideration.