Mackinac Island police seize e-bikes, issue tickets to visitors who break rules

Be warned: Mackinac Island police officers are seizing e-bikes that violate island rules . Police Chief Doug Topolski told the Detroit Free Press he cannot understand why visitors bring electric bikes for recreation to an island known for its historic feel , slow pace , horse and carriage taxis, old-fashioned rental bicycles and no cars . An estimated 50-75 e-bikes have been impounded within the past three weeks, Topolski said.

“I guess the frustrating part is knowing that a lot of people are rationalizing their insistence on a convenience as a necessity and having to deal with the result: a proliferation of e-bikes for anyone who wants the convenience of one,” he said. “Mackinac Island is not necessarily a ‘convenient’ place to be, and that’s what makes it so great. ” The Mackinac Island Police Department group Facebook page includes comments about the danger presented by fast e-bikes and requests for police to do more.

The island fire chief has been vocal in his concern about the threat of e-bike battery fires, having dealt with a handful already this season. Kelly Kerby Hinkson posted July 9: “I was just on the island again this past week… the e-bikes are becoming so obnoxious. I feel for the horses and carriage drivers …Thx to chief topolski and the police department.

They’re trying. ” These are the island e-bike rules Visitors, residents, employers and employees with mobility disabilities as outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act may use a specific type of e-bike. Only a Class I e-bike is allowed.

It has a motor that provides pedal assistance only when the rider is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance at 20 mph. It has no throttle. If a bike has been modified, the throttle must be permanently removed rather than merely disconnected.

E-bikes must be licensed to be on the island. The Mackinac Island Police Department is located at 7374 Market St. Its phone number: 906-847-3300.

More: Mackinac Island police chief urges tourists to leave e-bikes at home, will enforce rules Violators may receive $120 tickets and see their e-bikes (and scooters) impounded, plus pay a $20 impound fee. “Usually when they come back and get their bikes, they admit they know about the ordinance but contend than they can’t do without the throttle,” Topolski said. “Or they will tell us they just haven’t gotten around to getting it licensed.

” Shepler’s Ferry service is “putting a lot of effort” into screening visitors and inspecting bikes taken onto the ferry, Topolski said. Chris Shepler, whose grandfather founded Shepler’s Ferry service , told the Free Press the company has done additional training at all ferry sites. Topolski said he knows the bikes offer convenience.

“However, the motor vehicle ban is the thing that makes Mackinac Island, Mackinac Island,” he said. “Believe me, there are times going home up the hill, past The Grand (Hotel) that I would love to have an e-bike. I asked my doctor on the island about it and he asked me how old I was.

When I said I was 58, he said: ‘If you want to make 59, keep pushing your bike up the hill. ‘ He wants me to lose a little weight. ” More: Mackinac Island residents, historic businesses warned of e-bike battery fires More: Mackinac Island gets new restaurant on Main Street honoring old Michigan family He added, “The ordinance here is clear and many people see e-bikes as a slippery slope as well as an existential threat to the island when it comes to potential battery fires .

This is not a new ordinance. E-bikes have never been allowed here and are now only allowed for people with mobility disabilities, and only without throttles and with a top assisted speed of 20 mph. The only change to the ordinance is that people wanting to bring a Class II bike with a throttle into compliance must now ‘permanently modify’ the bike.

. . .

The reason this change was made was because too many people would just disconnect a throttle wire to license the bike and then reconnect it as soon as they left the police station. ” More: Longtime customer buys a favorite hotel on Mackinac Island Both Shepler’s and Starline ferry services have put up signs warning of the e-bike ban. “I’m not sure why it is happening,” Chris Shepler said of violators.

“This world has become a very odd place. Things that are happening are not the way it used to be. Everyone seems like they can say and do whatever they want with no regards to truth or what’s right.

” Contact Phoebe Wall Howard : 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress. com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid .

.