Home Rule Petition Could Let E-Bikes Take Flight In Salem

Salem residents could soon have a new way to get around the Witch City. Last week, the Salem City Council had its first look at a proposed home-rule petition to allow electric bikes, or e-bikes, on local roads.

Mayor Kim Driscoll said the public bike share program BlueBikes would like to add e-bikes to its fleet in Salem. But because of the way the vehicles are categorized in state law, they're technically not allowed on the road.

The petition defines an e-bike as a bicycle with working pedals, a seat and an electric motor using less than 750 watts of power. They are considered distinct from motorized bicycles, which use a gas-powered engine, often don't have pedals and require a driver's license to operate.

Current regulations don't recognize the distinction between the devices.

"The use of electric bikes, as stated in this resolution, is to allow for longer distances, for seniors, for those with disabilities," Ward 3 Councilor Patricia Morsillo said. "And they are not the mopeds and motorized bikes that are riding all over the city and terrorizing many residents. This is a whole different beast."

The council voted unanimously to send the measure to its ordinance committee after Ward 7 Councilor Stephen Dibble raised concerns about whether the vehicles would be allowed on sidewalks. Dibble, a mayoral candidate, asked that the committee confer with police.

Regulations governing motorized bikes and scooters have been a hot topic in recent years as Boston and other communities have considered allowing ride-sharing programs for electric scooters.

Cities like Cambridge and Somerville have clashed with dockless scooter companies that lacked permits and caused issues with blocked walkways. Cambridge has been working on its own road rules for electric scooters, with the idea of someday welcoming them back. But the vehicles are still considered illegal because state law requires motorized scooters to have brake lights and turn signals, which most electric scooters don't.

A road safety bill Gov. Charlie Baker filed in March calls for the creation of an advisory group "to review the use of electric scooters and other micro-mobility devices throughout the commonwealth. Other e-bike and scooter bills came before the Transportation Committee for a hearing last week.