E-bike safety meeting after fire and other concerns
The Venice Police Department joining multiple groups to talk about e-bike dangers on and off the roads.
VENICE, Fla. (WWSB) - A safety class meeting was held Wednesday morning to discuss e-bikes.
Members of the community around Laurel Road, Venice, and Sarasota Memorial Hospital hosted the meeting with their neighborhood advisory council. The Venice Police Department was also part of the meeting in conjunction with several clubs and the city of Venice.
The meeting was hosted at the Venice Community Center located on Nokomis Avenue in Venice from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Residents said they are continuing to come across multiple e-bike riders that are not following the rules or are unsafe.
“We’re teaching everybody what is proper, speed limits, stop signs, courtesy,” Gene Wend, Cycling Instructor with league of American Cyclists said.
“This is the first course of its kind on e-bikes and we have people around the state that are interested in this because e-bikes are a very hot topic,” Wendt said.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office hosted a similar safety meeting about what e-bikes and other electric vehicles are allowed, and where, last month.
Some vehicles are allowed on public roads and sidewalks, while others are restricted to private property only. Regulations include speed limits, with most of these being banned from going faster than 20 mph. The regulations can be confusing for riders unfamiliar with the rules.
“The landscape is also dynamic and changing in the state,” Justin Lorenz, Officer with the Venice Police Department said.
“Also get out there and ride with your kids, that way you can see what their knowledge level is about the laws of the road and how to stay safe, you don’t really know until you’ve seen them encounter those cross walks and stuff like that,” Courtney Chaco, Public Outreach Officer with the Venice Police Department said.
The safety issue also surrounds e-bikes and fire dangers while they are charging.
Monday morning, an e-bike fire sent first responders to Endless Summer E-bikes, a shop off North Jefferson Avenue in Sarasota. Smoke could be seen rising from the shop. Officials reported that only one battery caught fire.
Officials said that anything with energy can cause a fire. They recommended to owners to only charge e-bikes when they are home, and not to plug them in near an area where they sleep. Officials also recommended having working smoke detectors.
Lithium-ion batteries are capable of internal failures and overheating, leading them to explode. This can happen when they are charging, and even when they are not plugged into the e-bike.
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