A child was injured and Little League fields were torn up by e-bikes ridden intentionally across the diamonds at Pacheco Park, prompting North Smithfield's town council to debate — then table discussion of — a proposed ordinance restricting where e-bikes can be ridden in town. The discussion, which played out during the council's October 5 meeting, came after months of mounting complaints from the park's youth sports community.
According to The Valley Breeze, Town Administrator Scott Gibbs brought the issue to the council after the Parks and Recreation Commission approached him with complaints about e-bike riders moving at fast speeds through Pacheco Park, behavior that the outlet reports made some park visitors uncomfortable. Gibbs said e-bike use is climbing in communities everywhere, among both adults and children, and that the park concerns reflected that broader trend.
The complaints originated with a Little League board member who raised the issue with Parks and Recreation Commission member Theresa Grist, the paper reports. Children riding e-bikes have intentionally ridden onto the baseball fields since spring, damaging the turf, and in one incident an e-bike struck the Little League board member's own car. A child riding an e-bike was also injured at the park, per the same account.
A Park Already Under Repair
The fields in question sit inside Pacheco Park, a roughly 25.9-acre complex at 11 Main Street in North Smithfield's Slatersville village that houses two Little League fields, a T-ball field, a softball field, basketball courts and a playground, according to the Town of North Smithfield. The park is already the subject of a major infrastructure push: the town secured a $350,000 Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management grant in October to fix severe stormwater and runoff problems there, as Hoodline previously reported. That investment adds urgency to concerns about vehicular damage to freshly upgraded turf.
Public complaints about e-bikes were discussed by the town council on October 5. The council ultimately voted to table further discussion of the ordinance, with a public hearing planned to give residents a chance to weigh in before any ordinance is adopted.
Council Members Split on Enforcement Questions
Council member David Punchak said he supports pursuing an ordinance but pressed colleagues on who would actually enforce it, questioning whether the rules would stay confined to Pacheco Park or eventually apply town-wide, and how compliance would be maintained over time. Officials indicated that signage posted at the park would help make any ordinance enforceable in court, with Gibbs saying such postings are necessary for enforcement to hold up, and that the North Smithfield Police Department would be the agency responsible for enforcing it.
Council member Rebecca DeCristofaro said organizations that use the town's fields should make sure participants understand e-bikes are not allowed, and she voiced support for an educational session involving the police department to help spread that message before any formal rules take effect.
How State Law Already Treats E-Bikes
North Smithfield's local debate unfolds against a backdrop of state rules that already govern e-bikes statewide. Under a three-class framework enacted in Rhode Island General Laws § 31-19.7, which took effect July 1, 2024, Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are capped at a 20 mph assisted top speed while Class 3 models can reach 28 mph under pedal assist, with motor power capped at 750 watts, according to Velosurance. Compliant e-bikes are legally classified as bicycles in Rhode Island, exempting them from motor vehicle licensing and registration.
That same law requires all e-bike operators and passengers under 21 to wear a CPSC-compliant helmet on public roads and paths, a mandate broader than the state's general bicycle helmet law, which only applies to riders under 16. Separately, Rhode Island General Laws § 31-3-2.2 bars anyone under 16 from operating an electric motorized bicycle on public highways, roads, streets or sidewalks, giving local police an existing baseline for youth enforcement even before any North Smithfield ordinance takes shape.
Neighboring East Providence has already gone further: its city council passed an ordinance in June banning all electric bicycles from city parks, recreation spaces and public sidewalks, according to the City of East Providence. That full ban offers North Smithfield officials one possible model as they weigh how far a local ordinance should reach beyond Pacheco Park.
A Growing Statewide and National Concern
State lawmakers are also moving on the issue. House Bill 7789, introduced in the Rhode Island General Assembly in February, would classify high-powered e-bikes over 750 watts as recreational vehicles and require bicycle retailers statewide to prominently display state e-bike laws. On shared recreational paths, state law already limits access to Class 1 pedal-assist e-bikes, giving the Department of Environmental Management authority to bar throttle-activated Class 2 models and 28-mph Class 3 models from state-managed bikeways.
The safety concerns driving North Smithfield's debate mirror a national trend. Emergency department-treated e-bike injuries nationwide were estimated at approximately 59,200 in 2024, compared with about 26,800 in 2022. For now, North Smithfield's own path forward remains unsettled: the council's tabling vote buys time for officials to weigh signage, police enforcement and public education before the matter returns for a formal hearing.
