EVERETT, Wash. — As electric bikes and scooters become more common, some cities are tightening rules and increasing enforcement to respond to a sharp increase in rider injuries.
The Everett City Council has approved a sweeping ordinance regulating how electric bicycles, scooters and other powered devices can be used. At the same time, Kirkland police are stepping up enforcement by looking for unsafe riding behavior or vehicles that don’t meet the legal definition of an e-bike.
The moves come as e-bike and scooter use has surged through private ownership and shared rental programs such as Lime, which operates an e-scooter service in Everett. Along with the rise in popularity has come a growing number of serious injuries…