Citizens weigh in on possible new policy regulating the use of electric bikes atop levee

Several citizens provided feedback Tuesday on a possible new policy regulating the use of electric bikes on popular recreational paths atop the Wyoming Valley Levee along the Susquehanna River.

In another matter, the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority board, which oversees the levee, also announced Tuesday there won’t be a levee fee increase for 2024.

The authority board scheduled the public input session on e-bikes and is aiming to reach some decision on how it will proceed by the end of the year, with options including an outright ban.

Swoyersville resident Fred Wesley said all e-bike riders should not be punished because there could be a problem with a few. He started riding an e-bike two years ago following a knee replacement and said his time atop the levee has made him appreciate the river and valley and the flood protection provided by the levee.

Wesley said he slows down, rings a bell and makes a verbal announcement before passing a levee walker.

Bob Clemente, of Larksville, said he is on the dike every day and spoke to many senior citizens who use e-bikes to get to the levee and meet up with each other, often lingering on benches to socialize.

“It’s like their little vacation,” he said.

Clemente supported a suggestion from another citizen to add a white center line to keep walkers to the right and allow passing on the left.

“You can’t slam the whole county for one incident. It would be a crying shame,” Clemente said.

Eileen Galenty, of West Wyoming, said she is on the levee all the time and has not observed any problems with e-bikes, prompting her to conclude “this is a solution looking for a problem.”

Forty Fort resident Dotty Martin said her daughter uses a motorized scooter atop the levee because she is mentally and physically disabled and unable to ride a typical bike. The levee is safer than roadways, she said, adding she never heard anyone complaining about e-bikes going too fast.

Others mentioned headphones as a major culprit for many levee users being unaware of what’s happening around them. Someone suggested setting limited hours for e-bikes, similar to the way bicycles are permitted for a set time period on some ocean boardwalks.

Ted Ritsick Jr., of Forty Fort, presented a different opinion than the others, saying he walks, runs and bikes on the levee and has serious concerns about e-bikes due to the “speed differentiation.”

People of all ages are on the levee, including children on little bikes that don’t stay in a straight line, he said.

Ritsick said he could understand an exception allowing e-bikes for the disabled or those with other issues, but he has “seen too many close calls” to support e-bike usage by anyone.

Wendy Harrison, of Forty Fort, encouraged the authority to continue allowing e-bikes on the levee, saying she has never encountered any problems with hers. An e-bike has allowed her to travel to events in at the River Common and on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre without worrying about parking, she said.

Harrison said it is obvious e-bike riders must slow down and be alert when they approach others, especially children.

“The safety of it all is just using common sense,” she said.

Authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman had first suggested the drafting of a policy for e-bikes a year ago after someone on one sped 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.

Enforcement also was raised as an issue.

Authority Solicitor Christopher Slusser told the board Tuesday levee users would be obligated to follow any levee use policy, regardless of whether the authority or a police department is out there every day enforcing it. He said the same applies to speed laws for highways.

If a policy is in place, an alleged violator could be cited if a problem occurs, Slusser said.