Penn Township commissioners next week will vote on a proposed ban that would bar electric bicycles and scooters from the township’s Municipal Park.
Township solicitor Gavin Robb began drafting the ordinance in April following approval by the commissioners.
“The board has determined that the operation of these e-scooters and e-bicycles in township recreation areas can create danger and the possibility of physical harm and/or property damage to the operator and pedestrians and other users of township recreation areas,” the ordinance reads.
The move was prompted by increasing resident complaints regarding e-bike and e-scooter use, township secretary and manager Mary Perez said.
“We’ve received complaints regarding safety concerns,” Perez said. “We looked at different avenues other than an all-out ban, but we don’t really have a space that we can dedicate solely for the use of those. For the long-term, it could be possible that we could find an area that those could be utilized.”
Western Pennsylvania police and municipal officials have looked in recent months for ways to manage e-bike and e-scooter use as some riders ignore traffic laws.
Harrison police said in April, an e-bike rider failed to stop at an intersection and was struck by an SUV, throwing the rider into the roadway.
In July 2025, 19-year-old Jeannette resident Jayden Lynch was killed in a hit-and-run crash while riding an e-bike.
State police in 2024 investigated 345 vehicle crashes involving e-bikes, accounting for about 27% of all bicycle-related crashes. Two of those crashes were fatal, and 56 e-bike riders suffered serious injuries.