With summer underway and cruise ships drawing more visitors to town, police are stepping up enforcement of e-scooters and e-bikes to keep public areas safe.

Police Chief Gene Meek noted that while new laws were approved late last summer, this season marks the first full-scale opportunity to monitor how the motorized devices are being used.

“When the law passed last year, it was the end of summer and the kids were getting focused on getting back to school,” Meek said. “This is basically our first run, so we’ll have some specific things we’ll be watching closely. We definitely can’t have these e-scooters on the sidewalks.”

The rules stem from an ordinance approved last July by the borough assembly. It strictly bans e-scooters and e-bikes from walking and hiking trails, harbor floats and docks, cemeteries, school grounds, the shooting range, parks, playgrounds, recreation areas and the Wrangell Mariners’ Memorial.

At the same time, the assembly passed a companion ordinance establishing a fine structure for violations. Parents can face a $75 fine for failing to exercise reasonable supervision of their children. Riders can also be fined $75 for speeding, $75 for failing to wear a helmet and $150 for violating standard traffic laws.

Under state law, riders do not need a state driver’s license if their e-bike or e-scooter is incapable of exceeding 15 mph. However, anyone operating a device that can move faster than 15 mph must hold a valid driver’s license.

Enforcement has already begun on Wrangell’s streets. Meek shared that officers recently stopped two youths who were clocked traveling over 20 mph in a 15-mph zone on Front Street.

The chief said police had not issued any tickets, as of last week.

While motorized devices are the primary focus of the new law, standard bicycles are also raising safety concerns. The department has already received complaints, including a recent report of a boy under the age of 10 who allegedly sped through the intersection of Church and St. Michaels streets without stopping before continuing onto Front Street.

“Ironically, they involved regular bicycles,” Meek said of the early complaints.

To help his department navigate the rules, he is creating a quick-reference guide for his staff.

“I’m also going to be providing my officers with a ‘cheat sheet’ of certain things to look for immediately when looking at someone on an e-scooter or e-bike,” he said. “That way, it can remove a lot of the guesswork when they need to say something.”

Educational outreach is also in the works. Meek originally scheduled a community bicycle rodeo for May 2 to teach safety skills, but he had to postpone the event due to conflicting activities in town. He anticipates rescheduling the safety event in the near future.

Overall, the chief remains optimistic about how riders are adapting to the new rules.

“I would say that, so far, we’re seeing a lot more kids in compliance with the rules than last year already,” Meek said. “But there are still some who need to know the rules a little better. It’s going to be a matter of education. We definitely can’t have youth on scooters on the sidewalk — especially when a large cruise ship comes in.”