Barrington has widened its longstanding ban on motorized vehicles in public spaces to specifically include e-bikes and scooters, a move the Barrington Town Council approved by a 3-0 vote on October 5. The change applies in the same areas where the town already restricts motorized bikes, including parks, parking lots and sidewalks, and it has split residents between those who want stricter safety enforcement and those who say the rule cuts off a vital way to get around.
What the Expanded Rule Covers
As reported by WLNE-TV (ABC6), the ordinance amendment extends Barrington's existing motorized-vehicle ban to cover e-bikes and scooters in the same public areas already off-limits to other motorized bikes. Under Barrington's municipal code, operating a motorcycle, motor scooter, motor bike, minibike or go-cart on town public property has long been prohibited except in areas the Town Council specifically designates, with a narrow exception allowing travel on roadways to reach designated parking, according to Barrington's General Regulations. That same code gives the council authority to carve out paths or roadways within public property for motorized use when it chooses.
The town had already signaled concern over e-bike behavior before this month's vote. The Barrington Police Department announced a “Measured Enforcement” effort in the summer of 2025 aimed at curbing dangerous operation of electric motorized bicycles, according to a notice posted by the department. The town's Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which advises local officials on bicycle and pedestrian projects, plans and policies, has also been part of the broader local conversation around how Barrington manages its streets and paths for cyclists and pedestrians alike.
Residents Who Rely on E-Bikes Push Back
For some riders, the expanded ban feels like it targets a lifeline rather than a hazard. Barrington resident Linda Khamsyvoravong uses her e-bike to get to places including the library and the grocery store, and she said the ban on e-bikes on town property will interfere with general transportation for many people who depend on them the same way. Khamsyvoravong said she instead supports a more targeted safety approach, including better enforcement of existing rules specifically aimed at younger riders, rather than a blanket restriction covering everyone on an e-bike.
That tension echoes a point raised more broadly about who benefits from e-bikes in the first place. Research cited by the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center found that e-bikes have significant potential to make biking more accessible for older adults, people with disabilities, and others who may not be able to handle the physical demands of a conventional bicycle, according to the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center. The same research notes that e-bikes let riders travel farther for longer stretches of time, supporting more active, healthy lifestyles overall.
Infrastructure Gaps Complicate Enforcement
Warren resident Talia Kantro raised similar concerns about access, saying e-bikes allow older people or people with disabilities to move around and be outside in ways they otherwise couldn't. Kantro argued that limited cycling infrastructure can leave riders with few safe options, pushing many onto sidewalks not because they want to break rules but because there's nowhere else to ride safely. Kantro recommended that towns looking to keep e-bikes off sidewalks should first invest in better bike lanes and street infrastructure, rather than simply banning the vehicles outright.
Other bikers have questioned how effectively Barrington's expanded ordinance can actually be enforced, given the scope of public property it now covers. Notably, the rule does not touch the East Bay Bike Path, which is owned by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and remains governed separately from Barrington's town-property restrictions. RIDOT has continued to invest in that corridor, including opening new bridges crossing the Barrington and Palmer rivers, according to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation.
A Regional Pattern Takes Shape
Barrington is not the only Rhode Island community wrestling with e-bike rules this year. East Providence approved its own e-bike ban earlier in 2026, with its City Council passing restrictions on June 2 covering city parks, recreation spaces and sidewalks, as reported by the Providence Journal. Like Barrington's rule regarding the East Bay Bike Path, East Providence's ordinance does not apply to that same path because it sits on state land rather than city property.
East Providence's council later passed a revised version of its ordinance unanimously, prohibiting riders from moving or riding e-bikes within city-owned parks and recreation areas, including trails, paths, playgrounds, picnic areas and open green spaces, per the East Bay RI report. Violations there carry escalating fines of $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second and $500 for a third or subsequent offense, with police empowered to impound an e-bike starting with a third violation until a forfeiture hearing. East Providence police had cited four separate e-bike-related damage incidents in city parks over the prior year as part of the justification for tightening the rules.
The East Bay Bike Path itself has drawn its own safety scrutiny. E-bikes on the path can reach speeds up to 20 mph, with motors that activate only when the rider pedals, according to a report from WPRI. The outlet noted that a Bristol resident suffered a broken jaw after colliding with an e-bike rider on the path in 2022, and that the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has enacted a “class one only” rule for motorized bikes there. Data on how new regulatory signage along the path has affected rider behavior was not yet available when that report was published.
With Barrington now joining East Providence in tightening local rules, the debate over how to balance safety with transportation access for e-bike and scooter riders looks set to continue across Rhode Island communities grappling with the same questions.
