Burr Ridge Sees Surge In Bike Complaints

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge police have received a big increase in calls about bicycle violations this year, the chief said Monday.

At a Village Board meeting, Chief Marc Loftus reported 78 such complaints to date this year, with more than five months left. That compares to 14 in 2022, 19 in 2023 and 31 in 2024.

He gave the numbers during a board discussion about tougher rules for electric bicycles. He did not say how many of the recent violations involved such bikes, but appeared to suggest that most of them were. (In an email to Patch on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Kris Garcia said only a couple of instances involved actual bicycles; the others were for e-bikes, e-scooters and mini-bikes.)

In three cases, the police issued citations, Loftus said. In 51 others, bicyclists were gone by the time police arrived.

In three instances, they fled.

"We're not going to give chase," the chief said. "We're not going to contribute to an accident happening because of our enforcement efforts."

Many violators have been reported in the Village Center shopping complex and Chasemoor subdivision, a route many use to get to the center, Loftus said.

"There tends to be a core group that we continue to get called out for," he said. "They're traveling through the corridor to get to the Village Center."

He related a conversation with a local father who wanted to know whether he should take the e-bikes from his children.

"Well, you never should have gotten them in the first place, but absolutely take them away," the chief said. "We can't tell you how to raise your kids. We can only enforce what's on the books."

Mayor Gary Grasso said he and his wife ride their e-bikes a lot. He said children on e-bikes have passed them at "tremendous" speeds, often without helmets or other protective gear.

"The supervision of this starts at home. We're not in the teenage supervision business," he said. "I think parents should be held accountable if necessary, put before the ordinance court. We need to get the message out that we're serious about this."

During public comments, Burr Ridge resident Faiza Coleman-Salako said she was curious about why Burr Ridge was looking at stiffening rules for e-bikes while "the rest of the world is trying to adopt more car-free lifestyles."

Trustee Joe Snyder indicated he understood her point. But he said the village was seeking a way to deal with a few violators.

"How do we protect the whole against the few?" he said.

The Village Board voted unanimously to enact new regulations, with trustees Russell Smith and Tony Schiappa absent.

One rule adds a driver's license requirement for those riding Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes. According to the village, the first two classes go up to 20 mph while the third reaches 28 mph.

Another regulation would impose a 20 mph speed limit for the bikes.

Under regulations enacted in March, the village banned electric scooters and motorized play vehicles such as go-karts and single-wheel boards on public roads, sidewalks and pathways.

That was in addition to existing rules allowing bicycles, both pedal and electric, on public roads but banning them on sidewalks and pathways.