City council limits e-bikes on sidewalks, in parks; OKs paddleboarding at Stoevers

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

New and novel modes personal of transportation, by land and by water, were the main topics at Lebanon City Council’s Aug. 24 meeting.

Council passed on first reading two ordinances designed to regulate the use of the small, suddenly ubiquitous, electric-powered two-wheel vehicles, often incorrectly lumped together as “e-bikes,” on central business district sidewalks and on non-designated pathways in city parks.

The first ordinance would prohibit riding two-wheeled vehicles on sidewalks in the city’s central business district, which includes downtown. The second would confine the use of such vehicles in city parks to “roads and parking areas open to the public.”

Each ordinance will have to be passed again by council at next month’s meeting to become law.

The Pennsylvania Vehicle Code breaks down small two-wheeled personal vehicles into various categories depending on whether they are propelled solely by pedaling humans or are supplemented by various sizes of electric or non-electric motors.

A basic “pedalcycle” is a classic bicycle, either completely human-powered or human-powered with electric assist. A more powerful “e-bike” is a “pedalcycle with electric assist … manufactured or assembled with an electric motor system rated at not more than 750 watts and equipped with operable pedals and capable of a speed not more than 20 miles per hour … when powered by the motor source only.”

An even bigger “motorized pedalcycle” is a pedaled vehicle powered by an electric or non-electric motor with no more than 1.5 horsepower and not capable of going more than 25 mph. The Vehicle Code considers them a type of motorcycle.

Mayor Sherry Capello noted that “visitors to downtown businesses step out of the business, not thinking that there’s going be an e-bike racing past them. … And also in the parks, especially at Stoevers Dam Park, there are many locations on the trails where it’s narrow.”

Capello added that volunteer park rangers, who serve without pay, “basically get harassed, given the finger and whatnot. And people just are not following the rules, are not listening. And we have been receiving a lot of complaints from people almost getting run over, getting hit, dogs almost getting hit.”

Police Chief Eric Sims told council that “e-bikes have been a community issue, a hot button topic when discussing the safety of riders, pedestrians, and motor vehicles. Automobiles are having difficulty navigating because of e-bikes.”

Sims noted that the new restrictions are not meant to be punitive. “We’re talking about the folks that are not following the law, who are going the wrong way on the one-way streets, who are causing all kinds of tie-ups in the city. This year what we tried to do, we directed our patrol division to educate and enforce the law.”

Turning to aquatic transportation, at its July meeting meeting council deferred action on a proposed ordinance that would have banned or severely limited the use of paddleboards at Stoevers Dam. Councilman Sean Maguire had objected, arguing that a ban would violate Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission regulations.

On Aug. 24, Capello agreed with Maguire that paddleboards are considered “boats” under Pennsylvania law, and could be used at Stoevers Dam.

“Paddle boards are considered boats by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission,” Capello said. “The city is required to follow and respect PFBC’s state regs regarding … boating … on public waterways. We cannot pass local ordinances that contradict, override, or conflict with state fishing and boating laws.”

That appeared to satisfy Maguire’s concerns, and the proposed paddleboard ordinance was withdrawn.

Other council business on Aug. 24

• Capello reported that through July 31, with the year 58% complete, city revenues and expenses were at 66% and 45%, respectively, of annual budget projections.
• Capello informed council that she has appointed acting county treasurer Tina Tobias to the city’s land bank to fill the unexpired term of recently retired county treasurer Sallie Neuin. Pennsylvania land banks help municipalities return vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties to productive use.
• Council authorized Capello to sign an amended agreement between PennDOT, Lebanon School District, and the city for the installation of a traffic light at Cornwall Road and Orange Street. Increased traffic caused by the new Lebanon Middle School has made the new light necessary. The amendment updates the federally-funded project’s cost to $538,000 from the original $300,000 estimate. The city will make no financial contribution.

Next Lebanon City Council meetings

City Council’s next pre-council planning meeting will be on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 4:45 p.m. The next regular monthly council meeting will be on Monday, Sept. 21, at 6:30 p.m.

Council meetings are open to the public and held in the City Hall multi-purpose room, 735 Cumberland St., first floor, Lebanon. Meetings are streamed live on YouTube here.