Submitted by Kenneth Fitzgerald
A child is going to die, or wind up in a coma with a traumatic brain injury. It’s just a question of time.
E-bikes in Coronado are out of control, and our civic institutions need to take immediate concerted action to stop the unsafe riding practices of the town’s kids on these dangerous machines.
Every day, I see children riding e-bikes without helmets, on sidewalks and on the wrong sides of the streets, running through stop signs and red lights, doubled up and darting through pedestrian and car traffic with careless abandon. It’s inevitable that there will be a tragic accident, where someone is seriously injured or killed. It’s time we do something about it, as a community.
The City “E-bike & B-safe Coronado!” campaign has not been enough. Mandatory bike safety and traffic law classes should be administered in every grade of the schools. Every kid needs to be taught to ride on the right side of the street, to stop at stop signs, and to yield to pedestrians. In addition, an enforcement dragnet is needed. The police should fan out on bikes, e-bikes, and motorcycles at peak riding times – right before and after school, and at night – to ticket kids who break any of the rules. First tickets could have nominal fines with mandatory parental notifications; second infractions should have steep fines; third infractions should result in confiscated e-bikes. Every e-bike rider in town needs to know the rules, and have the fear of God put in them about following those rules. The atmosphere of impunity they now enjoy needs to go.
The e-bike riding culture can change, and it needs to change, before it’s too late. All schools and police need to get together and implement a coordinated plan of attack – with education and enforcement – immediately. We don’t need to wait for State or County guidelines, and we shouldn’t do so if it means one more day of delay.
Kenneth Fitzgerald
