I received this reply from Dave Simmons, executive director of Ride Illinois.
I forwarded this to all the village board members and the village manager.
I understand the ordinance is to be discussed at the July 15 village board meeting. That's not in response to my emails, but inquiries by others, including Alan Rubin, owner of Glenview Cycle, which sells e-bikes.
Mike Kruger
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Apologies for the slow reply, Mike. It's been a busy stretch with all the e-ordinances being introduced lately. Bicycles remain at the core of Ride Illinois’ mission. New mobility modes (e-bikes, e-scooters, and micromobility devices) are increasingly included in discussions at the local and state level. As a result, Ride Illinois has learned quite a bit about this emerging technology.
In general, the municipal code in the Village of Glenview that pertains to bicycles is similar to a lot of nearby communities. In fact, the majority of the municipal code in Glenview was adopted in 1959. The language is pretty standard, though aspects such as requiring bikes to be registered with the police department (Sec. 90-431) is definitely dated and worth revisiting.
The main issue that we see is the reference to an outdated definition of vehicles pulled from the Illinois Vehicle Code. The current legal definitions of vehicles should be pulled into the municipal code or, perhaps, just referenced so the full definition doesn't have to appear in the ordinance. This will include the definition of a low-speed electric bicycle (625 ILCS 5/1-140.10) and low-speed electric scooter (625 ILCS 5/1-140.11).
For example, the definition will be updated as soon as Governor Pritzker signs SB2285. The new language will be:
- Every human-powered device and every low-speed electric bicycle, as defined in Section 1-140.10, with 2 or more wheels not less than 12 inches in diameter, operable pedals, and designated seats for the transportation of one or more persons
Unless we're overlooking a key detail, updating the legal definitions should allow the use of legal classes of e-bikes in Glenview.
At the same time, there's been a flurry of poorly-written, overly restrictive municipal, mis-directed, restrictive municipal ordinances pertaining to e-bikes, e-scooters, and micromobility. It's likely that, if the e-bike conversation comes up in discussion by city council, the conversation will shift to all e-mobility devices. Ride Illinois has developed Guidance for Municipalities that offers a commonsense approach to embrace new mobility modes while retaining a focus on public safety. We're happy to chat with an official from Glenview about this topic, if that would be productive.
Thank you for bringing this topic to our attention. Let us know if there are any lingering or unanswered questions pertaining to your original message.
Dave Simmons
Executive Director | Ride Illinois
Office: (630) 216-9282 | Mobile: (847) 254-0873
Email: dave@rideillinois.org
Website: rideillinois.org