WYANDOTTE, Mich. – Wyandotte police are taking a tougher stance on reckless teen biking, and it’s the parents who will feel it.
Starting immediately, the Wyandotte Police Department will issue citations not to teens caught breaking the law, but to their parents or guardians.
Those citations carry a mandatory court appearance.
“At this moment, effective immediately, any violators we come across, special habitual offenders, our department will be issuing a citation. Not to the juvenile but to the parents themselves,” said Wyandotte Police Chief Archie Hamilton.
Complaints pour in
Hamilton says the department has been flooded with complaints about reckless biking, particularly teens in the city’s downtown district.
The complaints include e-bikes and regular bicycles.
“They are playing chicken with cars. They are traveling down the roadway, amongst motor vehicles, and they are doing wheelies the length of the roadway,” Hamilton said.
In some cases, Hamilton said the reckless riding has led to serious injuries, including a 16-year-old who collided with a car the other week.
Officers have issued warnings, but Hamilton says that approach has had little effect. Now, the department is changing course.
“We have to fix this problem one way or another, and it starts with the parents,” Hamilton said.
E-bikes outpacing the law
The crackdown comes as Michigan communities across the state grapple with a surge in e-bike use, and a state law that hasn’t kept pace.
Currently in Michigan, e-bikes are treated the same as traditional bicycles under state law, despite traveling at significantly higher speeds.
That legal gap has pushed municipalities to act on their own.
Earlier this month, Birmingham issued a memo reminding parents that e-bikes should not be ridden on sidewalks.
South Lyon and Wixom have also launched awareness efforts.
In Dearborn Heights, the city council is moving toward approving an ordinance that would regulate who can ride e-bikes and where, including potential fines.
In Wyandotte, Hamilton says discussion of a local e-bike ordinance is underway, though nothing has been formalized yet.
What parents, riders should know
The Wyandotte Police Department has been clear: the crackdown is not targeting teens or adults who are riding responsibly.
For families unsure about where e-bikes can legally be ridden, checking the bike’s class specifications is a good starting point.
Reaching out to local city officials or the local police department for guidance is also recommended.