WAUPUN — The Waupun City Council voted to eliminate the age restriction from riding bicycles on city sidewalks Tuesday night at the Common Council meeting held March 11, 2025.
Mayor Bishop introduced the topic Tuesday night, saying that he has a particular interest in the matter as the father of two elementary students and living on Brandon St about halfway between Main St and the bridge over the Rock River, which is a rather busy road.
The matter of increasing the age restriction on riding bicycles on sidewalks has been an ongoing discussion for nearly a year, with a long conversation at the October 29, 2024 meeting. This opened up the conversation to many other considerations for the ordinance, including e-bikes, scooters, and other small personal transport vehicles.
Police Chief Jeremy Rasch was then asked for his input on the proposal. Chief Rasch went on to explain that there were several items in the current ordinance which are no longer needed and he recommended removing them, but also that the City should keep in mind the State statutes on bicycles that would allow the Police Department to enforce laws on bicycles and the other vehicles.
City Attorney Dan Vande Zande said he saw no issue with the concept of the proposed ordinance changes, but that he had some recommendations to the changing of language that would make it more concise or enforceable.
Vande Zande brought up the high level of variability between the different motorized vehicles, even among e-bikes. One of the examples he gave was that some e-bikes just assist while pedaling while others will drive without pedaling at all. He also brought up other devices such as motorized skateboards and “hoverboards.”
He also discussed the options that the Council could have for the ordinance, whether to increase the age restriction, or to implement a speed limit regardless of age.
Mayor Bishop then asked if they wanted to vote or table it for the next meeting. Alderman Pete Kaczmarski said he would like to wait for the final draft to be proposed.
Alderman Jason Westphal suggested that it may be better to restrict “riding in a reckless manner” instead of setting a specific speed limit.
“Speed seems like it would be hard to enforce,” Westphal said. “You can see someone cruising along but unless you get them with your radar you can’t prove it in a citation when you go to court that they were operating over, say, fifteen miles per hour.”
Vande Zande added that they could include the “riding in a reckless manner” language in the ordinance, and add that it would be “presumed” to be reckless at whatever speed the Council sets.
Westphal also stated his disagreement on removing the section on riding on the sidewalk downtown, due to many downtown businesses having doors that open right into the sidewalk which may be difficult for a cyclist to stop suddenly if a door opened in front of them.
Kaczmarski asked if there have been any concerns or comments from downtown business owners regarding the change to the ordinance, should the section be removed regarding the downtown sidewalks. Mayor Bishop said he didn’t intend to have that section changed, and was more concerned about residential streets where kids would be more likely to be riding their bikes.
Mayor Bishop mentioned how the current ordinance says that residents are supposed to register their bikes with the Police Department, which hasn’t been enforced for many years. One of Chief Rasch’s recommended changes included removing that section entirely, and replacing it with a single line saying, “Registration and licensing. Bicycles can be registered at the police department but it is not mandatory. There is no fee.”
It was also pointed out that the majority of registrations over the last several years were done at the annual Bicycle Rodeo hosted by the Police Department in June teaching kids bicycle safety among other activities.
Mayor Bishop also expressed frustration about how long they’ve been in this process for this one ordinance, which they’ve been talking about since last May.
“I’ve been trying this for months, and we’re kicking it yet to another meeting,” Bishop said. “I mean, it’s not that urgent because Jeremy isn’t going to pull some kid over for riding their bike at the age of thirteen, but we talk all the time about how outdated our ordinances are and yet it’s this hard to change it.”
Alderman Westphal made a motion to get rid of the age restriction but wait until the next meeting to cover the rest of the ordinance draft. The motion passed unanimously.
Both the Wisconsin State statutes and the proposed draft were included in the agenda packet.
