The Village of Walden Board of Trustees adopted new regulations governing open burning and recreational fires and continued work on a proposed law regulating electric bicycles and other self-propelled vehicles during its Oct. 20 meeting.

The burning law, which had been discussed at previous meetings, prohibits residents from burning brush, chemicals, lumber, paper, plastic, refuse, wood, yard debris and similar materials within the village.

Residents may still use charcoal, natural gas, propane and wood for recreational fires, provided they comply with the law’s requirements regarding fire height and distance from surrounding structures and property.

The board also continued discussing proposed regulations for e-bikes and other self-propelled vehicles. Following the previous meeting, Trustee Gerald Mishk consulted with the village police chief and prepared a draft law for the board to consider.

Among its provisions, the proposed law would prohibit anyone younger than 16 from operating an e-bike and establish additional restrictions on their use. Mishk said the village needs to address the issue soon, citing concerns about children riding e-bikes and electric scooters recklessly through the community.

“As we discussed last meeting, this sample law is pretty much on par with that. There was a little bit of input from the chief of police on some legal issues with the officers doing the impounding and serving notice,” Mishk said. “I think that’s easily resolved, and if everybody likes what we have here so far, I think we can send it on to the attorney to make sure it fits the legal criteria to become a law.”

Mishk also described an incident during the village’s Halloween parade in which a young child, whom he estimated to be no older than 10, was riding an electric scooter recklessly around the area after the festivities had moved indoors.

“He was riding up and down the hills and around with all the kids out there,” Mishk said. “So I think it’s something that we should address sooner than later.”

Mayor Becky Pearson questioned whether the proposed law should also cover all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), noting that they have presented problems in the village as well.

“Some of them ride down the streets, get chased, go up over hills, and go through parks, so I don’t know if you want to add that as well or leave it as the bikes for now,” Pearson said.

Mishk said ATVs are already covered under the village’s vehicle and traffic law and present different enforcement issues. He agreed, however, that they should be addressed separately.

“What we’re trying to address with e-bikes are the kids under the age of 16,” Mishk said. He added that although state law establishes age restrictions, the village wants to establish additional enforcement measures, including provisions for impounding bikes.

Pearson also raised concerns about language in the proposed law that would prohibit mobility assistance devices from being used on sidewalks. She said residents who rely on such devices should be able to use sidewalks rather than having to travel in the street.

“Most of the people who have those do ride on sidewalks, they don’t ride them on the road,” Pearson said. “I think they may need to be on a sidewalk instead of a road, because there’s not a lot of ramps until you’re at the end of the road to get up on them.”

Trustee Cheryl Baker questioned how police officers would enforce the proposed regulations, particularly when dealing with children who might attempt to evade officers on e-bikes.

“When you were speaking with the chief, what were his ideas for enforcement? Chasing these individuals could be difficult, they’re going to go in between buildings,” Baker said. “You could put any fine on the books, but what does enforcement look like? And do they have the staffing?”

Mishk said officers would need to follow violators at a safe distance rather than pursue them at high speeds. He described a recent incident in which police coordinated several patrol vehicles to gradually block a young rider’s path and followed the child home, where officers issued a ticket and confiscated the bike.

“The parents didn’t realize that the kid was in violation of New York State law because he was underage,” Mishk said, adding that the parents were cooperative once officers explained the regulations.

“But that’s what you have to do; you have to follow them, but you can’t chase them,” he said.

Village Manager Kathryn Luciani suggested distributing information to residents with their water bills.

“We were saying maybe circulate a flyer that would go out with the water bill, explaining the e-bike regulations,” Luciani said. “Parents might not even know about this, they may not know their kids should be on these bikes at this age.”

Luciani said a mailing would help reach residents who do not regularly use social media or otherwise follow village announcements.

At the conclusion of the discussion, Pearson said the board should move toward finalizing the proposed e-bike regulations. The draft is expected to undergo further review before being considered for adoption.