The Broomfield Police Department has seen eight “serious injury crashes” within the last year that involved e-bikes or scooters, according to Sgt. Larry Ottosen.
Those crashes involved two e-bikes and the rest were “what we would call low-powered scooters,” Ottosen said.
“Broomfield has (an e-bike) problem, but we’re not different than anybody else — it’s a nationwide problem,” Ottosen said.
Part of the safety problem with smaller vehicles is that parents and community members who purchase them might not know how powerful the vehicle is — or may not be aware of the law surrounding their use. With an online resource, the city is trying to change that.
“One of the things that we really want the public to understand is, first of all, what the difference is between bicycles, e-bikes, mopeds, low-powered scooters, motorcycles, and e-motorcycles,” said Sarah Grant, the city’s transportation manager. She added that the resource is aimed at helping people “understand that all of those are considered vehicles, but not every single one of those vehicles that you see out there are legal to be used on Broomfield trails or on public roads.”
The city’s resource, available at Broomfield.org/E-Bike, goes through types of small electric vehicles, clarifies where they’re able to be legally ridden and discusses when licenses or certifications are required.
For example, only certain types of e-bikes are allowed on Broomfield trails, and misuse of vehicles that aren’t allowed is causing trouble for city workers.
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In Broomfield’s open spaces, city staff have seen people on illegal vehicles cutting off of trails, riding at high speeds, and burning or spinning out — all of which can cause damage to the trails themselves, according to Chloe Chalekian, who works in the city’s Open Space and Trails Department. Additionally, it can create safety risks and damage wildlife habitats, she said.
“We’re trying to create that culture of etiquette and safety and responsibility for not only the people on these e-devices but also for other community members as well,” Chalekian said.
The webpage aims to simplify some of the complicated regulations surrounding the vehicles, but if residents are still unsure, more resources are available.
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Residents can “always send us an email or give us a call, and we’d be happy to talk to them — one of our officers can help because a lot of times it’s still confusing,” said Rachel Haslett, a spokesperson for the Broomfield Police Department.
Haslett said the best way to contact Broomfield police with questions is through the nonemergency line, 303-438-6400, or by email at [email protected].
“We don’t want to respond to a scene where somebody is seriously injured,” Haslett said, “so we’re hoping to avoid that by educating parents as well as that younger generation.”
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