No e-bike tickets issued yet

The e-bike debate on Daniel Island once moved about as fast as the bikes themselves. 

Late last year, residents were calling, posting, organizing, and asking city leaders whether Charleston had to wait for someone to get seriously hurt before passing a law. The complaints centered on kids riding high-speed e-bikes and e-motorcycles through neighborhoods, on sidewalks, near schools, and along paths built for pedestrians. 

A few months after Charleston’s new e-bike ordinance took effect this spring, city leaders and police say the island appears noticeably calmer.  

The ordinance bans e-bikes from sidewalks, prohibits them from Daniel Island’s trail networks and multi-use paths, requires helmets for riders under 21, creates clearer definitions separating legal e-bikes from mopeds and e-motorcycles, and allows fines up to $500. It also prohibits modifications that increase speed and gives officers more tools to address reckless riding, including wheelies. 

“It is accomplishing what we had hoped,” City Councilman Boyd Gregg said. “I don’t see nearly the same number of e-bikes on the road as we used to. That has a lot to do with the community outreach and education by our police department, but also they now have the enforcement tools needed to continue the successful implementation of the ordinance.” 

Gregg said police have not had to rely heavily on tickets. 

“Thankfully, there hasn’t been a lot of ticket writing,” he said. “Again, the community outreach and education piece helped a lot.” 

Lt. Joseph Harvill, Team 5 commander for the Charleston Police Department on Daniel Island, said officers have noticed “noticeably less e-bikes, e-mopeds, and e-motorcycles.” He said officers have not issued a citation yet but have towed one bike. 

Harvill also said complaints have dropped, noting there has been a “significant decrease in observed illegal bikes.” He also said police-issued e-bikes for patrolling have made enforcement easier.  

“The department-issued e-bikes have been helpful for visibility, engagement with the community, and response time to calls for service during busy traffic periods,” Harvill said. “Particularly in the areas off of Daniel Island Drive, they are easier to maneuver and respond to calls.” 

He called the ordinance successful so far because it “provides appropriate and direct guardrails for safe usage within the city limits.” 

But for Scott Noonan, the Daniel Island resident who helped rally more than 100 neighbors around the issue last year, the view from the neighborhood is less reassuring. 

“I haven’t really seen a difference,” Noonan said. “Young kids are still riding recklessly and at high speeds throughout our neighborhoods.” 

Noonan said he has noticed a greater police presence but does not believe the ordinance has made Daniel Island safer. 

“In fact, I could argue that it has made things more dangerous. The ordinance basically pushes e-bikes off the sidewalks and onto the streets,” he said, pushing for a minimum riding age – a restriction city leaders said would conflict with state law and prove difficult to enforce.  

Gregg said resident complaints have “dramatically decreased” since January, when he was receiving multiple complaints a day. He said he has not received an e-bike complaint in the last month, but the city will review the ordinance again at the six-month and one-year marks.