Jacksonville city council committee advances e-bike safety ordinance limiting sidewalk speeds

Jacksonville’s Rules Committee voted 5-2 Monday to advance a substitute ordinance aimed at regulating e-bike safety on city sidewalks and shared pathways, capping speeds at 15 mph and calling for retailer-based public education — a move supporters say is long overdue.Council Member Michael Boylan, who introduced the legislation, framed the issue in stark terms.“To think it’s okay for a child whose only qualification is that the feet can reach the pedals of an e-bike, can go 28 miles an hour on a sidewalk or a shared pathway — in my mind is flawed thinking,” Boylan said.What the bill doesThe substitute ordinance includes nine amendments from a previous version of the bill. Among the key changes: the speed limit was raised from 10 mph to 15 mph on sidewalks and shared pathways, in line with a Florida state statute governing local e-bike ordinances.The bill also removes a previously proposed age limit, leaving enforcement of age-related restrictions to parents and guardians. It includes l