CARMEL — Carmel has become the first community in Hamilton County to pass an ordinance regulating e-bikes after months of resident complaints about safety issues.
The Carmel City Council unanimously approved the new ordinance 9-0, establishing speed limits, age restrictions and fines up to $250 for violations.
WATCH FULL STORY BELOW
"This has been a project since, I think, July, a naively said, 'Hey, we can tackle this,'" said Matt Snyder, co-sponsor of the ordinance.
The new ordinance clarifies the difference between e-bikes and e-moto devices.
E-bikes are defined as being pedal-assisted, while e-moto devices are more like dirt bikes that might not have pedals and often exceed the 20 MPH limit.
David Cabanban, owner of Future Velo e-bike store in Carmel, said he feels about 60% of bikes on the Monon Trail are now electric.
"Where we have the big problem is with young people — what we had to do is we had to give some guidance to the law enforcement," Cabanban said.
The Carmel Police Department will enforce the new rules using handheld radar devices, similar to how they monitor motor vehicles.
"The enforcement strategy behind this would be really no different than the motoring public. We have a handheld radar device," said Brady Myers from the Carmel Police Department during Monday's Council meeting.
Bike advocates in Carmel are supporting the new regulations.
"I think something needed to be done, just, you know, as technology changes and these newer e-bikes and the e-moto bikes are becoming more powerful," said Matt Tanner, with Bike Carmel. "There needs to be rules in place, I think, to make it safe."
Cabanban emphasized that success will depend on two key factors.
"It will come down to enforcement, and it will also come down to education. All technologies have their challenges, and we're just going through some growing pains," Cabanban said.
The full ordinance can be viewed below.
—
Griffin Gonzalez is the In Your Community multimedia journalist for Hamilton County. He joined WRTV in January of 2024. Griffin loves to tell stories about people overcoming their biggest obstacles and share the good news that his community has to offer. Share your story ideas and important issues with Griffin by emailing him at griffin.gonzalez@wrtv.com.
