ORLANDO, Fla. – MetroPlan Orlando is moving forward with a pilot program to give middle and high school students free e-bike safety training, responding to growing community concern about collisions and risky riding behavior.
Parents say e-bikes offer convenience but new risks, especially when teenagers ride to and from school.
“Being so close to the school, we live like a mile away, it’s very convenient,” parent Thomas Meno said.
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Meno, a local nurse, said he is honest with his daughter about how dangerous they can be.
“Seeing patients come in with traumatic injuries being hit by vehicles, it was really very important for me as a parent and try to share those stories with her so that it would really stick and resonate with her,” he said.
Dad Marlon Haynes, who is an avid e-bike rider himself, is also strict on safety with his children.
“I try to teach them the rules,” he said. “They cannot go riding without the DOT-certified helmet.”
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To get more children educated on the rules of the road and how to safely use electric vehicles, MetroPlan Orlando plans to use an existing online course from the American Bicycling Education Association and work with local school boards on a pilot program.
“It’s about twenty, hour-long video modules, and it is geared specifically toward teen e-bike Riders,” MetroPlan Orlando Senior Transportation Planner Mighk Wilson said. “We are going to be purchasing coupons, if you will, off the online course or up to our 500 students in Orange, Osceola and Seminole. We’re working with the school boards to pick schools for a pilot of this.”
Wilson said the pilot is expected to begin in the next few months. Parents like Haynes are excited for it to get rolling.
“This is a vehicle. You can get 20 miles per hour, 50 miles per hour. You can get hurt. You can get seriously hurt. So I think that’s an excellent idea for the schools to develop those programs,” he said.
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MetroPlan officials are holding a meeting today to further discuss the rollout and partnerships with local school districts. While pilot access will be provided free to selected students, the course is available for anyone to purchase online. For more information, click here.