Continuing concerns about the alleged antics of at least two different electronic bicycle drivers has some residents shaking their heads.
Wilton police are on the lookout for young motorized e-bikers said to be operating unsafely — performing wheelies in traffic, speeding along the Norwalk River Valley Trail, where they are prohibited, and even taunting drivers on public roads.
“Reports have been in and around the Town Center, Merwin Meadows, NRVT and on Rte. 7,” said Deputy Chief Robert Cipolla, noting that the Wilton Police Department first received “direct reports of concern” from a couple of residents around Thanksgiving.
“We’ve advised our patrols to monitor the locations,” he said.
“One of the complainants provided some documentation from a social media platform that would suggest there has been additional residents concerned about the issue,” he said.
On Monday, Lisa Huff of Wilton became one of a growing number of people who has seen motorized bikers causing trouble. In the late afternoon of Dec. 4, after driving through town on River and Horseshoe Rds., traveling south, she observed two motorized e-bikers, white males around 14- or 15-years old, driving recklessly, speeding up behind cars and doing wheelies in traffic.
“As I stopped near Horseshoe Pond for someone to cross the road, I saw the two bikers move over slightly and stop in the road, then swerve back into the lane as the car ahead of me moved into oncoming traffic to avoid them and try to get around them,” she said. “The bikers were then swerving around the car, I believe to get back in front of the car. I thought I was going to see a horrible accident unfold in front of me.”
In what appeared to then be some sort of retaliation, one of the bikers then began taking phone photos of the car’s license plate, driving back and forth next to it, and typing on their phone while laughing with the other rider.
“They then drove quickly down Range Rd. and I lost sight of them,” she said, following up with the police afterward to report the incident.
“I was concerned the kids were going to report the car in front of me who, from what I could tell, did nothing wrong but try to avoid hitting them,” Huff said.
“As a mother of two kids not much older, I’d want to know if my kids were doing something stupid,” she said. “I hope if anyone has information about the kids they will contact the police. I’m not trying to get anyone in trouble, but (am) genuinely concerned about their safety, as well as the safety of others in the community.”
Another Wilton resident, Kevin Kane, has witnessed a white teenage rider traveling carelessly amidst traffic.
“No helmet,” he said, “performing stunts such as wheelies, jumping off curbs, on and off of sidewalks in downtown Wilton. (It’s) generally careless riding, not damaging anything, but not riding as one would expect.”
“Teens have been riding bikes carelessly at times for many decades, but he is pretty reckless,” Kane said, noting that while he appears to be a good rider, he’s doing it in the wrong place.
Kane said that, given the power of the vehicle and the biker’s erratic maneuvers, the police should intercede.
“His parents must have their head in the sand, because most people know about what is going on,” he said. “If it was my kid, there would be problems.”
Andrea Gartner, executive director with the NRVT, said her board just created a new Trail Vehicle Policy last month in order to address what she said is an expanding issue with e-bikes.
“There was a lot of discussion around it,” she said. “I think what really came out loud and clear was that this is not something that is going to stay stagnant … More and more people are going to look into using e-bikes.”
While she said there hasn’t been a particular issue on the trail, there are occasional complaints.
“I think they’re taking people by surprise in some places,” Gartner said, as they become more ubiquitous through use by kids, commuters, and recreational riders.
With a restriction to Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes on the trail, which respectively have pedal assistance in the case of Class 1, and both pedal and throttle assistance for Class 2, up to 20 miles per hour, the NRVT policy asks that speeds be kept under 10 m.p.h at all time.
“No gasoline-powered vehicles are allowed on the trail at any time,” the policy states, with the exception of motorized wheelchairs.
“We’re also going to defer to local ordinances,” Gartner said.
According to Cipolla, one of the residents who contacted the police provided a photo, with others likely to follow suit.
“The resident indicated that they observed the depicted rider operating recklessly in the Town Center,” he said, “specifically they were observed doing wheelies.”
He said that while those 16 years and older could be subjected to fines ranging from $92 to $117 for each offense, those under 16 could be referred to juvenile court or a diversionary program.
“Our preference is to educate to ensure everyone’s safety rather than resorting to enforcement,” Cipolla said.
Sadly, some bike riders previously destroyed new plantings done on the NRVT by the Pollinator Pathway. Volunteers spent a lot of time and hard work to clear and plant those areas off Sharp Hill Rd and they had to be redone.