The city of Watertown passed a law last week with new safety requirements for e-bikes. The move comes almost a year after a woman died in a biking accident in Thompson Park.
People who ride electric bikes in the city of Watertown are now required to wear helmets and stay off sidewalks. Standard bikes are only allowed on sidewalks if the rider is under 12 years old.
The Watertown City Council passed the new safety measures at its meeting last Monday, July 6.
People who violate the new rules could be fined $150 dollars for first-time offenses and $300 for any other offenses within 18 months.
At the council meeting, Watertown resident Patricia Oatridge pushed back and said the city should invest in more bike-friendly infrastructure.
“If ya’ll want to enforce helmets and tell people they can’t ride on the sidewalks and they can’t go through the squares or they have no way to get around town," she said. "Then they need to make bike lanes; in Europe they do it, no problem. What’s the problem in Watertown?”
Council Member Robert Kimball said he agrees that there should be more bike lanes, but the city can't afford this right now.
“A helmet is just a basic safety thing, it’s like wearing your seatbelt in your car. It reduces your risk of death from an accident.”
City officials said they put together the new law in response to several biking accidents; Last year, a 66-year old woman died from head injuries after being thrown from her bike in Thompson Park. Last spring, an 18-year-old riding an e-bike was hospitalized after colliding with a car.
The new law takes effect immediately.
