NOLENSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A 7-year-old girl was flown to the hospital after being struck by an e-bike rider in Nolensville, and local police say it is one of several injuries that have pushed communities across Williamson County to take action under a new state law allowing cities and towns to restrict where e-bikes can ride.
Nolensville Police began studying e-bikes about a year ago after complaints started stacking up and more young people were getting hurt. Officers found that children recklessly riding e-motorcycles were the most dangerous offenders. While standard e-bicycles generally reach speeds of up to 20 mph, e-motorcycles can reach up to 60 mph.
In the most recent serious incident, a young rider struck a girl who was running across a path.
"A young man was riding an e-bike and didn't see the little girl running across the path and hit her," Nolensville Police officer Josh Guin said.
Local business owners say the growing popularity of e-bikes has exposed a gap in the town's infrastructure.
"There is no place for you to ride a bike and come to a place like Itty Bitty Donuts and things like that, because you have sidewalks that aren't finished," Itty Bitty Donuts owner Misty Brown said.
"We don't have bike lanes, so where are they gonna go?" Brown said.
"We want the kids to be able to go out and go where they want to in town," Guin said.
Before pushing for new restrictions, Nolensville Police worked directly with families.
"Would call the parents, have called the parents, talk to the parents. Let them know what was going on and what laws were broken, or the parent and the kid together and then let the parent handle it after that," Nolensville Police said.
Police now plan to take those conversations to city leaders, hoping officials will establish e-bike and e-motorcycle restrictions in the interest of public safety.
"Every community is different," Guin said.
"It's not going anywhere. It's like anything else. If you don't keep up with the times you're gonna fall behind," Brown said.
Brentwood has already updated its guidelines, essentially banning e-bikes in parks by designating them as "no throttle zones." Franklin city leaders are set to discuss the matter on May 26.
Tennessee also raised the minimum age for Class 3 e-bicycles — which can reach up to 28 mph — to 16 years old.
Nolensville Police want to remind parents that they can be held responsible if their child damages property or injures someone while riding an e-bicycle.
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