The city of Durango and the Durango Police Department have received an increased number of complaints about people – mostly young teenagers – riding e-motorcycles fast and disobeying traffic laws on public streets and the Animas River Trail.
Durango Police Department Deputy Chief Chris Gonzales said most of the complaints have been caused by a group of teens riding electric motorcycles on streets and bike paths fast and with reckless abandon of their own or other peoples’ safety. He said the police department has been able to locate the riders through contacts at local schools.
“We’ve received enough complaints that we have asked our school resource officers to assist us in identifying some of the riders, to help us identify them and take enforcement action with them,” he said.
City spokesperson Tom Sluis said that, per city ordinance, anything larger than a Class 2 throttle-assisted electric bicycle is illegal to ride on public infrastructure.
“(The motorcycles) are inherently larger, faster and more dangerous than the smaller Class 1 and Class 2 electric bicycles, which are allowed,” he said.
Gonzales said that these e-motorcycles, made by companies such as Surron or Freego, have the same power as a conventional dirt bike and can be bought online without providing age verification or a valid driver’s license – meaning anyone can ride them, no matter their age or if they actually know how traffic laws work. Gonzales said some parents in the community buy these machines so their children can commute around town.
“They’re not appropriate for kids to use as commuter vehicles to get to and from school or to move around town,” he said. “They’re very dangerous. They have the same power as a motorcycle, so you’re doing the same as buying your kid a full-powered motorcycle, but you’re just not following it legally.”
Gonzales said he and other law enforcement officers have tried to stop the riders, but, because they are equipped with an extremely fast, maneuverable motorcycle, they often run away to evade reprimand. He said officers do not chase them, because that can create an even more dangerous situation that puts more people at risk.
“On several occasions, they have ridden away at high speed, and we’re not going to chase them because that’s even more dangerous to the community,” he said. “That’s why we’re trying to identify them through the school resource officers’ knowledge, because we want to safely contact them, to educate them, as opposed to creating an incident where they or someone else might get hurt.”
The city has seen an influx of reports and complaints on its social media pages, Sluis said, adding that these are helpful, but he urged people to submit their complaints or reports to the city’s dedicated SeeClickFix site to identify perpetrators.
“If a member of the public has a cellphone, take a picture of the rider and send it to use through our online reporting portal,” he said. “Maybe the person honestly didn’t know the rules and just needs some education. Maybe they do know the rules and need a ticket.”
Additionally, Sluis said concerned residents can request city councilors to take action to better address the problem, like hiring a dedicated river trail patroller.
“A key part of this discussion comes down to the use of tax dollars and available resources,” he said. “If it is a priority for the public to have, for example, a dedicated staff member of the city to patrol the trail, the best way to accomplish this is to let city councilors know, or to attend a public meeting and voice the concern.”
More information about the rules around e-bikes in Durango can be found at the city of Durango’s electric bikes website.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
