KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.
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E-bikes and other e-rides are growing in popularity, and Grain Valley police and at least one neighborhood association are responding with the need for education ahead of summer break.
Back in April, the Grain Valley Police Department posted a series of graphics on Facebook about e-rides and the laws around them. I reached out to the department to find out why it was educating people — did something change? Was someone hurt?
The answer was no — but they're finding more and more people are not aware of the laws surrounding these vehicles.
Captain Joseph Christiansen of the Grain Valley Police Department said technology is outpacing the ordinances in place.
"Technology always moves faster than we can keep up with especially with electric vehicles," Christiansen said.
Christiansen said the ordinance can be broad, but it breaks down to the capabilities of the bike or vehicle. There may be an age requirement or a driver's license needed. For e-bikes, Christiansen said the biggest factor is whether the vehicle is pedaled by a human or a motor.
Christiansen encouraged residents to come speak with police directly before purchasing an e-bike for a child.
"I would recommend that if somebody up in Rosewood or Woodbury or anywhere in the in the city that is experiencing these or maybe potentially getting one for their kid, come up and talk to us, and we can kind of give them an idea of when it's appropriate for the roadway, when it's appropriate for the sidewalk, or when it's not appropriate at all, or maybe when you have to have a driver's license to operate it," Christiansen said.
Heather Dixon, the HOA president of Grain Valley's Rosewood Hills neighborhood, said e-bikes have become a rising issue involving children. She wants kids to play outside, but to do so safely and respectfully.
"They're finding their ways into those retention ponds, making ramps, jumping over culverts, and it is dangerous. It's unsupervised, and it's not on their property," Dixon said.
Dixon and police share the same concern. Christiansen said officers are regularly responding to complaints while also prioritizing outreach.
"We constantly are getting complaints on it, but we're also constantly out there doing what we can, number one, to educate," Christiansen said.
Both Dixon and Christiansen said more conversations need to be happening with children — and their parents.
"More communication about it. I think with school getting out shortly, parents need to be aware that this major transition is coming where they're going to be outside playing more, and there's gonna be so many more of them doing it," Dixon said.
Christiansen said Grain Valley's ordinance is in alignment with state statutes, but the city is in the early stages of possibly updating the ordinance. You can find the current ordinance here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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