Ashland aldermen discuss e-bike regulations instead of ban

Ashland’s Board of Aldermen decided not to ban electric bicycles in the city after further discussion at its Jan. 6 meeting. Instead, the board plans to adopt regulatory ordinances to limit the speed, power and use of e-bikes.

Since early November, the aldermen debated whether an e-bike ban was necessary for public safety or if it would be an overreach of government regulation, as well as whether the ordinance would be effective in the long run.

Alderwoman Brenda Ravenscraft argued in December that e-bikes posed a safety threat to older residents who walk or exercise in the park.

“When you’re 80, just had double knee surgery, you’re walking or you’re exercising, you’ve got two little twerps coming up on e-bikes behind you and scare the heck out of you,” she said. “They might not hit you and you may not hear them, but when they come up to you, who’s at fault?”

City Prosecutor Todd Smith advised the board that while a ban may “dissuade a certain percentage of people” from riding e-bikes, it would be unreasonable to assume the activity would cease altogether without violations.

“ We are not liable for somebody else who’s negligently operating a bicycle on our property,” Smith said. “You have a tension between maintaining public safety and the government’s responsibility for people — that’s a delicate subject. We don’t want to intrude on people’s ability to parent their children.”

Alderwoman Kristen Colbert mentioned that since the parks board is currently working on the planning for a renovated city park, they might explore adding separate walking and biking paths as a potential solution to reduce harm risk.

“If there’s no desire to move forward with a ban of any type, we’ll just continue to explore what other regulatory changes may be appropriate to make sure that these are clearly classified and defined appropriately for code,” City Administrator Kyle Michel said.

Alderman Sam Turner said he would support certain regulations on speed and use or city codes that allow police to ticket reckless riders, but not an all-out ban.

Michel said the city would continue to research and eventually make amendments to the city code, traffic code and park regulations as necessary to define and limit the use of e-bikes.

New wastewater treatment equipment

The board approved the purchase of new equipment for the existing wastewater treatment facility.

Kevin Crooks, director of public works, told the board several key components of the machinery were nearing failure on the plant. The board approved the purchase of 12 separate parts in various quantities at an amount not exceeding $39,467.22, which is about $9,000 more than the board had originally approved in November.

Crooks said that by “sheer luck” and the timing of the department’s bond payments, the additional cost would not exceed the wastewater facility budget.

“If (the parts are) going to fail,” Crooks said, “I keep thanking my stars that it failed prior to the bond payment starting.”

A new wastewater treatment plant is currently under construction.

Ashland transportation plan

Michael Beaty, a senior civil transportation engineer with Great River Engineering, presented the Ashland Transportation Master Plan at the meeting. He said the firm evaluated the current road infrastructure and its effectiveness, recommending various areas that needed improvement.

Beaty listed several intersections and streets that require repair, restructuring or extension, as well as areas of infrastructure beginning to show wear.

Beaty said South Henry Clay Boulevard from East Broadway to Peterson Lane and the intersection at South Henry Clay Boulevard and East Liberty Lane were the highest priority recommendations for improvement based on community concerns.

He also said that while most of the city streets operated at a “C” rating under a travel time and delay study, the stretch of Main Street along the schools operated “at a failure condition” due to drop-off and pickup procedures.

Beaty recommended that the city coordinate with the Southern Boone School District to determine a solution.

The master plan included a 10-year budget recommendation for grid infrastructure maintenance, estimating $440,000 in total for the first three years, then around $200,000 each year following. Currently, the city spends between $300,000 and $400,000 a year on maintenance.