The City of Ventnor prohibits motorized bikes on the Boardwalk. Enforcing this local ordinance is spotty at best.
‘We do have enforcement’ says Ventnor Public Safety Commissioner, Tim Kriebel.
They’re everywhere. Electric bikes and motorized skateboards. Some e-bikes can reach speeds of 25- 30 mph. Not only are they fast, but they’re heavy. Get hit by one, and your likely to be seriously injured.
Aggressive boardwalk biking already a challenge for pedestrians. Unlawful, motorized e-bikes will make things much worse for those who prefer a pleasant stroll on the boards
Fast, heavy and quiet. Motorized-bikes can cause real damage if rider loses control.
E-bikes are unlicensed, motorized vehicles. They can be dangerous. Especially in confined spaces. Like a crowded boardwalk.
Small children and seniors are most at risk from illegal motor-biking on the Ventnor boardwalk.
Ventnor Mayor Beth Holtzman must step up enforcement, says a mom of two toddlers. I’m afraid to take a walk on the boardwalk.
Not only are e-bikes multiplying on the boardwalk, but you’ll also see an occasional, gasoline-powered bike.
153-4 Use prohibited on Boardwalk. [Amended 6-4-1979 by Ord. No. 7904] The operation and use of motorized bicycles shall be prohibited on the Boardwalk.
On a nice day, the boardwalk is packed with pedestrians. These walkers often find themselves dodging fast moving e-bikes. Residents want boardwalk patrols to give out warnings and tickets, before its too late and someone gets seriously injured.
Gerri: I got hit by someone on a bike, going way too fast on the boardwalk last summer.
Vickie: Those ebikes just scare me either on the road or on the boardwalk.
Joel: City Commissioners: no motorized bikes, boards, anything on the boardwalk other than wheelchairs. Station a couple of cops there once or twice, and it will stop.
Helene: Need bike patrol and tickets. Permits for e bikes if necessary. Quality of life situation
Cheryl: Probably nothing will be done until someone REALLY gets hurt. A good lawyer will have a field day
David: Rudeness abounds on the Ventnor Boardwalk/Raceway. Sponsored by NASCAR.
Rochelle: Unfortunately it will take a tragedy for something to be done. Every year it gets worse and worse. Very unsafe. My husband constantly is saying to me watch out, move over. There should be no bikes, skateboards or anything of that nature permitted. It is totally out of control, UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT!
Sean: Had young man on electric bike run red light as I was turning onto Dorset from Monmouth. At the rate of speed they go, someone is going to get seriously hurt or worse.
Joyce: Should ban all motorized (electric, gas, battery, solar) skate board, motorcycles, scooters and bikes from the boardwalk…exception for the disabled.
Michele: A teenage boy was riding his bike on one wheel & ran my 4 year old niece over at 7:30pm when we were walking back from the beach concert! Maybe they should enforce the time bikes are allowed. It was horrible!
TS: Bikes, scooters, etc., which can reach speeds of 25 mph are a present danger to pedestrians in a narrow space. And so are all the clods who bike and treat the boardwalk as the Tour de France.
IH: Please do something to stop the bikers on the Boardwalk who think they’re Lance Armstrong on steroids and feel the need to ride their bikes at extremely high speeds, while people are walking especially with so many little kids around.
Contact Tim Kriebel, Commissioner of Public Safety
Add bike lanes to Atlantic Ave. Problem solved.
Really? That solves nothing if people continue to be allowed to break the rules and ride their e-bikes on the boardwalk. All you’ll have is under-utilized bike lanes without enforcement.
Me and my family comes down from New York City and spend the month in Ventnor. In 2021 I purchased eight e-bikes from AAA Bike Center there in Ventnor I have a problem with all the dogs on the boardwalk.
Last year I spent around $30,000 to stay in the city of Ventnor because it is close to the shore on the boardwalk and my family happens to love the city and uncongestedness of it years before we stayed in Atlantic City which we really loved also but is is very congested.
I find it hard to believe that you would penalize people for riding their bikes on the boardwalk when there are there for everyone to enjoy. Now I’m going to have to rethink where what city I will be staying because the city of Ventnor has left me and my family and friends out of the process of riding our bikes on the boardwalk
It’s FLAT in Ventnor. You don’t need an e-bike. A regular bike is fine. The exercise would be good for you. Or ride on Atlantic or Ventnor Avenues.
Start issuing tickets!
Electric bikes are hazardous to rider and pedestrians alike. Atlantic Ave bike lanes would help as well as stronger enforcement on the boards.
E bike are just like any bike regular bikes can go over 25 get over it I ride my bike ever day n km not dangerous drop it get a life
Electric bikes are far heavier than regular bikes and therefore would cause more damage in a crash. And they are against the rules of the boardwalk, which is the point of the article. Reading is FUNdamental.
Do you ride your electric bike on the boardwalk? As in, against the rules? Your electric bike is far, far heavier than any conventional bike and by that simple definition alone indisputably more dangerous — especially if you’re riding it amid pedestrians on the boardwalk.
You forget their are disabled people. You come up with he weight stupid argument just like there is gun violence now e bike violence. Disabled people would love to respectfully ride the boards
Kriebel. Clean up your boardwalk. Get rid of these “bikers” going 25 mph. I was shocked the other day at the rate of speed of one guy. Also could you please spray or hack down the poison Ivy. What do they pay you the big bucks for? It’s a disgrace out there.
Don’t stop the fun of 99 percent of bike riders for a few idiots I love to ride the boardwalk n I do it everyday for 20 years. I have full knees n two rods in right ankle n I need the help of the electric bike to enjoy the time. Just like we have speeder in cars give them tickets but don’t hurt the law abiding citizens for a few hoods
While your injuries are unfortunate, it still doesn’t ENTITLE you to do what is not allowed by using electric bikes on the boardwalk.
You are correct I too need the help of an electric motor and would enjoy a ride down the boardwalk
Your enjoyment doesn’t change the rules. The reasonable accommodation available is to ride your e-bike, but on the street.
As a Margate resident, I doubt bike lanes on Atlantic Ave are the answer. I say this because we have them and I see fewer bikers on Atlantic and Amherst Ave ( Longport end) than on other streets. Bikers generally go wherever they please, flow of traffic and designated bike lanes have little impact.
Electric bikes, skateboards, etc. are a serious danger and should be banned from the Boardwalk. But so are regular bikers riding too fast and too close to pedestrians.
My wife and I were almost hit by a kid doing wheelies on the Boardwalk on Memorial Day weekend. He didn’t care who he hurt. He thought it was a big joke.
Enforcement should be a priority for Ventnor police before more people are injured.
they are banned
no enforcement
Patrol BW heavily for next two or three weekends. If these EV riders do not have identification, give them a ticket and confiscate the bike.
I have 3 grandchildren and I am afraid to have them walk on the BW because these bike are going too fast.
Why have rules and regulations posted in small print and not very visible, if you’re unable or unwilling to enforce them?
Install speed bumps or use fees from beach badges (another money grab with no real services back to community) and hire full time people to be on boardwalk to enforce and protect the citizens.
Why aren’t these vehicles registered? Confiscate them if not registered .
They can be as lethal as a car.
So many exaggerations obscuring the right point in your rant. No real services? Yeah, ignore the lifeguards provided for example. Hiring full time people ? Sure, by raising taxes… As lethal as a car? Trying comparing the damage based on the thousand of pounds of between a bike and car driving at the same speed. The point your exaggeration is losing sight of is basically good – enforce the simple existing rules. The rest is just silliness and ranting.
When you get hit by one of these things the damage is as life changing as being hit by a car. You have no recourse because you don’t know who is driving it or owns it.
They are not registered so you’re left with life altering injuries and mountains of medical bills.
Get your head out of the sand.
There were lifeguards long before beach tags.
Look, there is no excuse for these e-bikes (or any bikes) to be on the boardwalk. Enforce the rules, period. But your comment that these e-bikes cause the same level of damage as a car is just silly, and wrong. A car typically weighs 100x or more than an e-bike and therefore strikes with 100x the force at the same speed. There is also video and witnesses in the cases of a significant accident (how many have there been, George?). Again, I am in NO way defending the bikes especially electric ones on the boardwalk — simply criticizing George’s exaggerations. Still waiting on your answer as to who pays for your full time force to monitor them – I’ll save you the time: taxes and higher fees. Riders – follow the rules. Ventnor – use existing resources to enforce them.
Some E bikes are capable of speeds close to 45 mph. Too fast for the city bike lanes. With the island limits of 25 mph, they should be roadway only.
Solution: Just post that any E-bike caught on the Boardwalk will be confiscated!
That will put a stop to it and add to the City’s yearly bike auction take.
Reality – they will spend more on legal fees resulting in challenges to the confiscation/sale of bikes than they will generate in revenue. Ticketing/fines will actually bring in far more money, by just enforcing the rules in place.
So I guess it’s ok to cruise the boards on my Harley?
Nope anything with a motor needs to be on the street on the right side of the road and not on the sidewalk
People on the boardwalk need to be held accountable as well! Don’t take up the whole darn boardwalk and keep an eye on your kids running around getting in the way. I’m up there everyday 530am for a fast ride!
I have a regular pedaling 10 speed race bike at top speed I can go 30 miles an hour on the boardwalk what is the difference please let me know
I don’t understand why you can’t ride your e bike on the boardwalk while it’s off.
I was stopped the other day and showed the cop it was off and he said it didn’t matter. That’s ridiculous. Regular bikes go faster than the e bikes at times
Because e-bikes on average weigh 2x as much as a regular bike. And at the same speed that means they deliver 2x as much force (and hence, damage) as a traditional bike.
I agree! It is my primary bike and it is not always on.
Just like people who bring their fur babies on the boardwalk. They are all over the place.
The electric bicycle when in off position, with only human power, is the same as average bicycle.
I would argue that it’s harder to peddle because of weight of motor and controller. I believe that this is one-sided.
Post speed limits and times that people can share our natural beauty of the New Jersey shore.
An ebike weighs 2-3 times more than a conventional bike, and at the same speed strikes with 2-3 times the force. It’s physics: force = mass x acceleration. That’s why there are rules against them.
Another reason to go to Wildwood, it’s more family oriented, not 25 people changing rules and laws that everyone can enjoy. How about Times and Speed limits. Also when motor is off it’s a lot work keeping up with regular bicycle.
Insane on the Ventnor Boardwalk. So many e-bikes speeding between and around people and children, with no warning of any kind.
It’s bizarre. Please take electric bikes off the boardwalk. Could be deadly.
Our e-bikes are assist only, which means we have to pedal. They do not go over 15 mph. We are older, careful riders and respect pedestrians. Not everyone with an e-bike is dangerous.
Of course not, but the e-bike IS dangerous by virtue of its weight via a conventional bike being more than twice as high. That is the risk even at same speed, and why the rules about ebikes are in place.
It is understandable that surveillance is limited because of manpower, but it the penalty was steeper, that would balance it out. The penalty should be $250.00 for first offense and confiscation for the second offense. If an injury occurs during the first offense, confiscation should be applied summarily.
License them and put a tag on every bike so they can be held accountable if an accident occurs. To ban them on the boards is just hurting the people who made the investment and hurting our local bike shops who are selling more e-bikes than any other bikes.
Most e-bikes riders are older cyclists who would be unable to enjoy the boardwalk without some gentle assistance, and are not speeding. In my opinion, it’s not a problem unless speed and recklessness happen.
Yes, actually it is a problem. E-bikes, whether used in “e-mode” or not weigh 2-3 times as much as a conventional bike, and therefore would strike with 2-3 times more force in a collision, even at the same speed.
It sounds like you don’t want to be negotiable, as if the Boardwalk belong to one group of people, you are leaving out the people who paved the way on this county and paid their own way so you could enjoy this area of South Jersey. This is what happens when you start to over rule people and you can’t be tolerate other people in their likings,but because you shot the loudest you think you’re right. If you insist that no ebike on your Boardwalk then I would insist you hold your children hand and not have them running all over the place, because I’m to enjoy myself not your Children
An object that weighs 25 lbs. (avg weight of a beach cruiser), moving at 10 mph carriers a kinetic energy of 104.25 joules.
An object that weighs 48 lbs. (avg weight of an ebike), moving at 10 mph carriers a kinetic energy of 217.56 joules.
It’s pretty hard to argue with the math.
Please enforce the laws on the books banning e-bikes as well as dogs. The laws were put in place for a reason but since they are not enforced, many just ignore them. Sooner or later, there will be a major accident if the laws are not enforced. My friend was attacked by a pit bull on the boardwalk last fall. dog was on leash but owner couldn’t control him.
If electric bicycles are not set to a specific speed, then they should not be allowed on streets or the boardwalk, or should be treated like motorcycles once they hit an allotted speed altogether.
If you’re going to ride an electric bike GET ON ATLANTIC AVE, no excuses. Simple as that. People have no common sense how DANGEROUS they are and what can happen in accident with those on a crowded boardwalk.
Shoobies and those year round residents need to get a grip
Ohhh… that’s even worse! And if they’re riding fast in the accredited bike lane… oof. Watch for a ton of accidents this summer.
Commissioner Kriebel ignores danger of fast, heavy, e-bikes on Ventnor Boardwalk. Operating illegally.