08/25/2026
At last week’s City Council meeting, we revisited the question of e-bikes on Farmington sidewalks.
After consulting with the League of Michigan Bicyclists, the City Attorney shared an updated opinion that e-bikes *are* allowed on sidewalks under state law, and municipalities can pass ordinances regulating their use. That gives us more options than we thought we had during our previous discussion. At the time, I had supported banning e-bikes from sidewalks. If our choices were essentially “allow them” or “ban them,” I thought a ban was the safer option. But now that we know we can regulate *how* they’re used, I think there’s room for a more nuanced approach.
My suggestion was a speed limit instead of a ban. South Lyon, for example, has a 15mph speed limit on its trails, which their police enforce using small handheld radar devices.
To me, that gets at the actual problem we're trying to solve: people riding too fast on sidewalks and endangering pedestrians. A ban regulates the type of bike someone is riding. A speed limit regulates the behavior we’re actually concerned about. With a speed limit, someone riding dangerously can be stopped and cited. Someone riding responsibly can keep riding. I don’t like laws that punish everyone because of a few bad actors, and to me, that’s what a blanket ban would do.
I’m also concerned about where a sidewalk ban leaves people who don't feel safe riding an e-bike in traffic. On lower-speed residential streets, riding in the road may be a reasonable option. But Grand River and Orchard Lake are a very different environment, particularly outside downtown, and we don't have a connected network of bike lanes that gives riders another place to go.
Next, we'll be looking at an ordinance on how to regulate e-bikes. We could ban them on sidewalks, introduce something like a speed limit, or do nothing at all.
Since the meeting, we’ve heard from a number of local cyclists, including seniors in the Cycling for Active Adults group. One thing those emails highlighted is how common pedal-assist e-bikes have become. These aren't mopeds zipping along under motor power - the rider has to pedal, and the motor gives them a boost, with assistance cutting off at 20 mph. For some older adults and other riders, that boost is what makes it possible to continue biking around town. And they’re already using these bikes to get places: Riley Park concerts, the grocery store, destinations along Grand River. If those riders don't feel safe mixing with 40- or 50-mph vehicle traffic, banning them from the sidewalk may effectively mean they stop biking to those places altogether and drive instead.
So, that's where I land right now: I'd rather regulate dangerous behavior than ban an entire category of bicycles.
What do you think? Do e-bikes have a place on Farmington sidewalks if we establish rules - like a speed limit - to deal with reckless riding? Or should they be banned from sidewalks altogether?
**Please note, this post is about e-bikes that have actual pedals, not mopeds. Those are not allowed on sidewalks, period.
