Electric bikes may be banned from paths atop Wyoming Valley Levee

Electric bikes, scooters and skateboards may be banned from popular recreational paths atop the Wyoming Valley Levee system, officials said Tuesday.

Luzerne County’s five-citizen, volunteer Flood Protection Authority, which oversees the flood-control system along the Susquehanna River, discussed options for a new policy to address safety concerns during Tuesday’s meeting, with several board members expressing support for an outright ban.

Authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman had first suggested the drafting of a policy for e-bikes a year ago after someone on one whizzed past him while he was working on the levee path. This person was “flying,” and the e-bike “was like a small motorcycle,” he said at the time.

The rough policy draft he presented to the board Tuesday proposed an option to only allow e-bikes weighing up to 100 pounds that can still be fully operated by the user without activating the motor. The motor itself should be no more than 750 watts and not have the capacity to exceed 20 miles per hour, it said.

His proposal would have prohibited e-bicyclists from exclusively using motors to move atop the levee. Instead, they would have to “use human power or pedal-assist power (electric assistance while pedaling) to operate e-bikes,” it said.

“All operators shall always adhere to safe speeds along the levee trail, and e-bike operators shall never use the electric assist to exceed 20 miles per hour,” it said.

Belleman stressed it was only an idea and that he was seeking input from the five-member board and legal counsel.

Board member Jay Delaney instantly took issue with any reference to a possible speed of 20 miles per hour. He stood up to simulate himself walking along the levee and imagined what would happen if an e-bike traveling 20 miles per hour hit him from behind, describing the scenario as “grossly unsafe.”

Delaney also highlighted the fact that levee path is only 8 feet wide.

Questions also were raised about how such a policy could be enforced and what speeds are safe.

Board Vice Chairman William Hardwick proposed prohibiting e-bikes entirely due to enforcement challenges, saying he believes it is a “slippery slope” trying to police speeds and specific types of e-bikes.

A frequent levee trail biker and walker, Hardwick said the path is intended for safe public recreation and exercise — not to “get somewhere” faster through the use of a motor.

Board Chairman Dominic Yannuzzi said a ban on motorized equipment also would apply to electric scooters.

Someone else mentioned electric skateboards too.

Board member John Maday said he agrees with Hardwick’s support for an outright ban, saying it also should include electric scooters and skateboards. He said he spotted e-bikes on the levee that were “moving fast.”

The board approved Yannuzzi’s motion to table a decision, and Belleman said he will work with solicitor Christopher Slusser to prepare a revised proposal incorporating a ban.

Belleman said the issue must be addressed.

“We can’t ignore it because it’s here. It’s in our lap,” Belleman said.

His proposed policy said e-bikes have become increasingly popular in recent years in the United States and worldwide “as technology and functionality improve and prices decrease.”

The authority’s next monthly meeting is at 1 p.m. Sept. 19 at the authority command center on Wyoming Avenue in Forty Fort.