Update: the Glenview Village Board discussws potential ordinance revisions at their regular meeting July 15,
The document accompanying the agenda is this review by the police department:
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The money statement in that document is this:
That, or course, is a
recommendation, and this is not a proposed ordinance, which has yet to be drafted. I note that this recommendation does not include e-scooters, which would continue to be banned despite their prevalence in Glenview.
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The main issue that we see is the reference to an outdated definition of vehicles pulled from the Illinois Vehicle Code.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:
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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
Ride Illinois’ mission is to make Illinois better through biking!
Visit rideillinois.org to support nonprofit
bike advocacy, education, and awareness in Illinois
A bit more info. This is consistent with what I wrote to you yesterday.
Mike Kruger
Today I received a phone call from the Glenview Village President responding to my email to the Board of Trustees questioning whether there is a e-bike ban in the community. He stated that their Motor Scooter ordinance that seems to ban e-bikes by its language
is old and was written before e-bikes became a thing. He said the village is working to revise it and likely will adopt Illinois' laws which treat Class 1 and 2 e-bikes as bicycles but require a motor vehicle license for Class 3. He stated that they were not
enforcing any ban. EBC rides with e-bikes are welcome in Glenview.
I wonder if the local news article was written with the intent to stir up some controversy and try and light a fire under the village to change its ordinance?
If you buy an e-bike, make sure you know what class you are getting.
Regards,
Steve Kimmel