Helena city leaders are weighing a new ordinance that would impose speed limits, helmet rules and fines of up to $500 on e-bike and electric-motorcycle riders after residents complained about reckless behavior on neighborhood streets and trails. The proposal, known as Ordinance 1045-2026, had not been adopted as of Monday, when it was scheduled for discussion during the Helena City Council's work session.
According to abc3340.com, the ordinance had not been adopted and was set for discussion during Monday's City Council work session. That outlet reported the session was scheduled for 5 p.m., while WBRC 6 News reported the council planned to discuss the proposed ordinance Monday at 6 p.m. Helena city leaders say the rules are intended to protect children, per WBRC's report.
Helena has safety concerns tied to e-bike speeding, collisions and congestion, the station notes. Jeff Murphy reported that residents have complained about e-bikes and e-motorcycles running stop signs and weaving through neighborhood traffic, according to the same WBRC account. “The premise of it all is keeping our riders safe,” Murphy said, per that report.
Speed Limits and Passing Rules on Trails
Under the proposal described by abc3340.com, multi-use paths — including Hillsboro Trail and Buck Creek Trail — would carry a 15 mph speed cap. Riders would need to slow to 10 mph on unpaved trails and when passing pedestrians, golf carts or other riders on sidewalks and multi-use paths, the outlet reported. WBRC's account similarly described a requirement that e-bike drivers slow to 10 mph or less within 50 feet of any pedestrian and while passing pedestrians, vehicles or other riders on sidewalks or multi-use paths.
Riders would also be required to obey posted speed limits, yield to pedestrians at all times, travel in the proper direction and give an audible warning — using a bell, horn or verbal callout — before passing someone, per WBRC's reporting and abc3340.com's account of the ordinance language. The proposal would additionally require riders and passengers younger than 16 to wear properly fitted and fastened helmets, both outlets reported.
Banned Behaviors and Electric Motorcycle Restrictions
The draft ordinance would prohibit a list of unsafe riding behaviors. Those include riding against traffic, carrying more passengers than a device is designed to accommodate, attaching a bicycle or electric-powered device to a moving vehicle, ignoring posted speed or restriction signs, and tampering with a motor to boost speed beyond its labeled class rating, according to WBRC and abc3340.com's reporting.
The proposal goes further than typical e-bike rules by also targeting electric motorcycles, which it defines as devices with motors rated at 750 watts or more that are capable of traveling faster than 28 mph, per abc3340.com. Those vehicles would be barred from sidewalks, multi-use paths, pedestrian lanes, bicycle lanes, trails and parks open to pedestrian traffic, the outlet reported.
Penalties and Who Would Enforce Them
Anyone convicted of violating the ordinance could face a fine of up to $500 or imprisonment for up to 30 days, abc3340.com reported — a penalty WBRC's reporting similarly described as a fine of up to $500 and/or up to 30 days in jail. Enforcement responsibility would fall to Helena's police chief or a designee, according to abc3340.com.
How State Law and Past Local Rules Fit In
Alabama's statutory framework, set out in HB273, defines an electric bicycle as a bike with fully operable pedals, a seat and a motor under 750 watts that meets one of three speed classes, according to the Alabama Legislature. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes top out at 20 mph of motor assistance, while Class 3 bikes are capped at 28 mph, per the same legislative text. State law also lets a county, municipality or other political subdivision prohibit Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes from bicycle or multi-use paths for safety reasons, and prohibit Class 3 e-bikes from those paths, after providing notice and holding a public hearing — and it already bars anyone under 16 from operating a Class 3 e-bike, requiring helmets for Class 3 riders and passengers.
Helena has regulated small-vehicle traffic on its trails before. The council approved Ordinance 908-2022, governing low-speed vehicles and certain golf carts on designated public streets and trails, in a 3-2 vote, according to the Shelby County Reporter. That ordinance allows covered vehicles on paved trails only if they stay under 10 mph, keep to the right and yield to pedestrians, the paper reported, and it requires operators to be at least 15 years old with a valid driver's license or permit, plus a $48 annual permit sticker issued by the Helena Police Department.
