Biking is popular all year long.
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Ocean City’s police chief is urging parents to keep their kids under control amid an increase in juveniles “recklessly” riding their electric bikes and regular bicycles through town, including two crashes in recent weeks.
In a letter sent Friday to parents and students in the Ocean City School District, Chief Jay Prettyman stressed that police will hand out tickets to juveniles who speed on their bikes or violate other traffic laws.
Depending on the age of their children, the parents may be responsible for the tickets and also could be held liable for property damage or injuries that occur in bike crashes, Prettyman said in an interview.
“Over the last few weeks, many members of the Ocean City Police Department have observed several juveniles operating electric bicycles (E-bikes) recklessly throughout town,” he wrote in the letter. “The riders have been ignoring traffic signals and violating many New Jersey State Motor Vehicle Statutes. I myself have witnessed a couple extremely dangerous situations, which has caused me to become increasingly concerned about the rider’s safety.”
One boy was injured and taken to the hospital after he ran a traffic light on his e-bike and was struck by a car Wednesday at the intersection of 48th Street and West Avenue. Fortunately, his injuries were not severe, Prettyman said.
In another accident, a boy lost control of the e-bike he was riding and rammed into some parked cars on the 1700 block of Simpson Avenue a couple of weeks ago. He was not seriously injured.
Both of those accidents underscore the danger of juveniles speeding through town and violating other traffic laws while riding their bikes, Prettyman said.
“In an effort to curtail the incredibly unsafe operation of E-bikes I would like to send out a safety warning to those who ride E-Bikes and/or bicycles throughout town. As I mentioned earlier, many juveniles have been observed riding E-bikes/bicycles throughout town as they disregard traffic laws and causing an unsafe condition for themselves and other motorists,” Prettyman said in the letter.
Police Chief Jay Prettyman says more and more young bike riders have been breaking traffic laws in recent weeks.
At the same time, Prettyman is asking for the cooperation of parents to keep their children under control and help prevent tragedies from occurring on local roads.
“We have already had two accidents that could have been devastating to our community,” Prettyman wrote.
He continued, “This notification will serve as your warning. If your child/dependent is observed violating any New Jersey Motor Vehicle Statute and/or operating an E-bike/bicycle recklessly, summonses will be issued to you and/or your child.”
“I hate to send a letter that is so forceful, but I believe this situation is dire and I am extremely worried about the safety of these operators,” he concluded.
Prettyman also stressed in an interview that police are serious about handing out traffic tickets to bikers.
“Our officers are noticing more and more violations and will be aggressive in enforcing the law,” he said.
Bikers 15 years old and older would be old enough to receive tickets. Those who are younger may be taken to police headquarters and would have to wait for their parents to pick them up – a process known as a “stationhouse adjustment,” Prettyman explained.
According to a city ordinance, it is the responsibility of parents “to govern their children’s actions” when they are 15 years old or younger. Prettyman cited the wording of the ordinance in his letter to parents and local students.
When they are riding on the road, bikers are required to follow the same laws as motor vehicle traffic. However, police have been seeing more traffic violations in recent weeks involving young bikers riding around town, Prettyman said.
“It’s definitely a problem that needs to be addressed,” he said. “Kids need to wear a helmet and they need to obey all of the traffic laws.”
Monica Saffri, right, who has an e-bike, said riders must be respectful of their speeds.
Electric bikes, or e-bikes, are becoming more of a concern because of the speeds they are capable of traveling – with some capable of hitting 45 mph or more. E-bikes have a battery-powered motor to propel them to higher speeds.
E-bikes have been growing in popularity during the pandemic and are regarded as an environmentally friendly form of transportation. They are now a common sight on local streets and on the Ocean City Boardwalk.
Monica Saffri, who lives in Southampton, Pa., and has a vacation condo in Ocean City, was riding her e-bike on the Boardwalk on Friday.
Saffri said she can no longer ride a regular bike because her knee locks up when she pedals. She also noted that an e-bike allows her to enjoy longer rides than what she was used to taking on a regular bike.
Her e-bike has its top speed capped at 20 mph. Saffri said riders should always be conscious of their speed when they are on their bikes.
“It’s not a speed issue if you’re respectful. You always have to be respectful,” she said.
