Orange County School Board Hosts Workshop on E-Bike Safety Measures

ORLANDO, Fla. – The rising popularity of e-bikes among school-age children is sparking safety concerns on sidewalks and roadways.

Orange County Public Schools has noted several reports detailing unsafe incidents involving e-bikes and scooters. This has led to discussions on ensuring the safety of students and the community.

Last fall, the school board conducted a workshop to examine the increasing use of e-bikes and scooters, focusing on how to mitigate associated risks. Key issues discussed included the absence of helmets, insufficient infrastructure, rider inexperience, reckless behavior, and collisions with vehicles.

“Regrettably, I believe this issue might not receive the necessary attention until we witness several severe accidents,” stated Teresa Jacobs, Chair of the Orange County School Board, during the workshop.

Parents, such as Lillian Sandoval, are advocating for changes to enhance safety measures.

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“I think they need to just be more careful and us drivers be more cautious around the schools because we do see a lot of kids in them, but they are dangerous, in my opinion,” she said.

“Maybe have like a designated area for those kids to go to, like away from the cars. I know it’s hard because of the schools and their locations, but maybe that would help.”

The school board is holding another workshop Tuesday to further discuss possible safety improvements. During the last one, the board discussed potential measures like raising awareness, providing student training, conducting parent outreach or even banning e-bikes on campus.

Local cyclist Chuck Holman emphasized education to improve how students ride in the area.

“[I see students] reckless driving, blowing stop signs, disobeying. A lot of them don’t even know the rules. So, yes, it’s very scary,” he said. “I believe they should have to take a course and they should have to be a certain age and have a card of some type, just like an authorized motorist on the road.”

During the last workshop, board members did not support a full ban on e-bikes and scooters but considered leaving regulation decisions to individual schools.

They will revisit the topic again Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.