The Teton County School District held a workshop on electric bike safety on Friday, June 4 at Jackson Hole Middle School. Electric bikes, also known as e-bikes, are bicycles equipped with an electric motor.
District Communications Director Charlotte Reynolds said that several parents have reached out to the district and expressed their concerns about unsafe e-bike use on roads and pathways, primarily by middle school-age kids.
Teton County Pathways and Trails Coordinator Brian Schilling said that several middle school-age kids have gotten into crashes while riding e-bikes, sometimes hurting other people.
Presenters at the workshop talked about the importance of wearing a helmet, how to ride safely on roads and pathways, proper hand signals, and how to be respectful of pedestrians and other riders.
Schilling said that he’s excited to see so many people using the pathways system and biking but that he wants to educate the community on e-bike safety before it becomes a bigger problem.