Parkersburg to revisit impounding motorized bikes
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PARKERSBURG -- City Council will reconsider allowing police to impound motorized bikes if the rider is cited for a violation and doesn't have a driver's license.
An ordinance authorizing Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce to apply to the West Virginia Municipal Home Rule Board for approval to make the change is on the agenda for Tuesday's council meeting.
The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Those attending are required to wear masks or face coverings, and social distancing will be practiced.
The meetings are no longer being streamed online by the city as they had been during the COVID-19 pandemic because people can attend in person or listen to the meeting in the executive conference room, City Attorney Joe Santer said.
After several amendments, council passed an ordinance in June 2019 regulating the use of motorized bikes, including requiring riders to obey speed limits and other traffic rules, wear fluorescent vests or jackets and wear helmets. Violations are subject to fines of $25 to $100.
It originally included a component allowing police to impound the bikes of alleged offenders if they did not have a valid driver's license. Supporters said that provided an additional layer of enforcement as people who do not pay fines can have their driver's license suspended. But the city doesn't have that option with unlicensed individuals.
Since the ordinance was enacted, Parkersburg Police Chief Joe Martin said there have been 55 citations issued for violations, mostly a lack of headlights or rear reflectors. Four fines have been paid, and five citations were dismissed because the bike was brought into compliance.
On the other 46, the violator failed to appear in Municipal Court.
"Based on this data and the lack of a true incentive (for) those who operate these machines, I feel strongly that a change in the city ordinance is needed," Martin said in a memo included with the council agenda. "These violators are accepting the citation with no intention of appearing in our city court."
Parkersburg resident Calvin Kirby rides a motorized bike and builds them for others. He said he tries to advise people of the rules that need to be followed. While he agrees confiscating the vehicles may be necessary in some circumstances -- such as when an individual hasn't paid a fine or the bike lacks brakes - it should not be the first resort, because a motorized bike is the only means of transportation some people have.
"Why should we take these away from the people that are struggling because of some bad apples?" he said.
Kirby said he recently paid fines on three tickets he had not addressed because of the recent pandemic.
Martin said the ordinance as written does not require officers to impound the bikes but gives them the option.
The bike can be released if a $25 bond is paid, the ordinance says. The owner may also be liable for "any reasonable storage costs incurred," it says.
Also on first reading is an ordinance rezoning three parcels on East Seventh Street as business to accommodate a planned Taco Bell near Race Street. The parcels are zoned as part residential, part commercial.
Council will also consider the final reading of an ordinance updating the local limits on the discharge of certain materials into the sanitary sewer system by large industrial users, as well as a resolution reappointing Sherry Dugan to the Municipal Planning Commission. A longtime member of the commission and former City Councilwoman, Dugan is also the Democratic nominee for mayor in the general election.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.
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Meeting Notes
* Parkersburg City Council meets 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building.
* Those attending must wear a mask or face covering.
* Social distancing will be observed.
* Overflow seating and audio of the meeting will be available in the executive conference room.