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To the editor:
I sit on my deck overlooking the new bike path on North 22nd Street, and every day I observe a dangerous combination of factors. I previously served as the safety non-commissioned officer for the 133rd Air Guard, which made me highly aware of unsafe conditions. I continue to notice them on a daily basis along the bike path and on North 22nd Street.
The community has seen an explosion of e-bikes and e-scooters. I observe children as young as 8-years-old operating these.
The kids operating these e-bikes often seem to know only one speed – full throttle. They may be unaware of traffic laws or simply disregard them. The majority of these e-bikes are being operated on city streets, while some are also using the bike path. I have seen two people riding on an e-bike or an e-scooter. I have even seen some towing other kids on pedal bikes.
You have to be 14-years-old to operate a moped in the state of Iowa and possess a special moped permit. These e-bikes and e-scooters can go just as fast, but there is no age limit nor any special permit to operate these.
These dangerous situations are not a matter of if they will happen; it is when they will happen.
I have researched Iowa Code 321.235B regarding the use of e-bikes and e-scooters in the state of Iowa. There are not a lot of rules and regulations governing them. The one rule I did see was that if an e-bike is over 750 watts, you must be 16-years-old or older to operate it.
One of my reasons for writing this is that if you have an e-bike or e-scooter traveling at 35 mph and a car traveling at 35 mph, the closing rate would be 70 mph leaving very little time for a driver to react. This isa recipe for disaster and possibly a death.
With just this one fact, I felt the need to inform vehicle drivers to be very watchful for e-bikes and e-scooters. They dart out of nowhere, swerve into traffic and pay no attention to stop signs. They are not watching out for vehicles. This puts people's lives in danger, not only the lives of the operators of these vehicles but also the lives of vehicle drivers. If you hit one of these, it may be the driver's fault and the repercussions could be life-changing in more ways than one.
Michael J. Littzen
Fort Dodge