I would like to thank the Hinsdale Village Board and Deputy Chief Tom Lillie for addressing the issue of e-bikes. Parents: you probably think your (mostly male) pre-teens/adolescents are being responsible as they ride around town on their e-bikes, scooters, etc. They are not. I run, walk, bike and drive through Hinsdale several times a day. If you saw your sons cutting across Madison, crossing 55th Street (against the light), heading south toward Ruth Lake in the middle of the street popping “wheelies” with a friend or sibling clinging to their backs, you would be appalled. I have seen a group of boys cutting across Plainfield on their way to Chik-fil-A, Panera or Portillo’s, jumping curbs and weaving between parked cars. Yesterday, I saw a pre-teen boy on his Fat Tire e-bike heading west on 55th Street. No helmet. On the street. Yesterday morning, a group of boys with fishing poles, back-packs, buddies hanging on and recording on their phones so they can post their escapades to social media fly down Madison. These are all violations — and tragedies waiting to happen.
I applaud the village for stepping up. Now, the hard part: enforcing this new ordinance. Parents, please let the police do their jobs. And, you have to do yours: telling your child to ‘Be careful’ isn’t working. — Arlene R. Jarzab, Hinsdale
