Hilliard City Council unanimously approved new laws for bicycles, electric bicycles and scooters, and other low-speed mobility devices at its Aug. 24 meeting, including a helmet requirement for riders under 18 and potential misdemeanor charges for parents whose children violate the regulations.
City Council voted 6-0 to approve amendments and additions to city ordinance after about 15 minutes of discussion and public comment. The action comes amid a wave of e-bike and e-scooter regulations in Columbus' suburbs as the vehicles become more widespread in the U.S.
After the new rules take effect Sept. 23, bicycles, e-bikes and e-scooters and other low-speed micromobility device riders under the age of 18 will be required to wear helmets with securely
fastened chin straps on Hilliard's roads, streets, sidewalks and shared-use paths. Parents or guardians who allow their children to "recklessly violate" Hilliard's bike and e-bike rules could be charged with a minor misdemeanor on their first offense.
If that person receives a second offense within a year of their first, they would be charged with a fourth-degree misdemeanor, and any subsequent violations within that year would be third-degree misdemeanors.
The new rules also include a ban on Class 3 e-bikes – which can reach up to 28 miles per hour – on the city's bike paths and shared-use paths unless the path is in or adjacent to a road, or unless the city has specifically authorized Class 3 bikes on that path. The Hilliard Division of Police is also allowed to impound bikes, e-bikes or other low speed micromobility devices that are involved in violations of the city's traffic code under the new rules.
The city plans to host a community event on further e-bike and e-scooter regulations this fall, with the goal of developing a second round of more specific regulations for Hilliard, city manager Joshua Rauch said. The city has also been working with Hilliard City Schools to educate students on e-bikes and e-scooters, according to Rauch.
"We're trying to take a multi-pronged approach, and this ordinance this evening is sort of step one," he said.
Deaths from accidents involving e-bikes, e-scooters and hoverboards in the U.S. have risen dramatically since 2017, from just five deaths in 2017 to 135 in 2024, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Injuries from accidents involving those vehicles have also risen sharply, from 37,000 in 2017 to 149,100 in 2024.
Transportation and neighborhoods reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com, @NathanRHart on X and nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Hilliard City Council approves new bicycle, e-bike, e-scooter regulations
