City bans mini, pocket bikes from public roads

The Olney City Council passed an ordinance on June 24 to ban minibikes and pocket bikes from city streets, after a spate of complaints about unsafe and illegal behavior as well as noise.

The Council passed the ordinance unanimously, with Mayor Pro Tem Harrison Wellman absent. The measure was brought to the Council’s attention by Olney Police Chief Birbeck, who said in May that complaints have escalated as more bikes hit the road and officers ticket riders for failing to follow traffic laws.

“The problem has only grown and become more severe,” Mayor Rue Rogers told the Council. “This will allow police to stop ... a safety threat.”

The ordinance, which was based on similar measures in other Texas cities, is aimed at curbing problems with underage drivers and scofflaws, he said.

The new ordinance requires riders to have a driver’s license with a Class M endorsement to ride minibikes and pocketbikes on city streets.

Riders also must abide by local traffic laws and have their vehicles equipped with reflectors and lights, and must signal at stops and turns, he said.

The vehicles are not permitted on state highways, he said.

The ordinance also bans vehicles with motors under 50 cubic centimThe City Council must pass the ordinance for a second time before it goes into effect.

The ordinance likely will be on the Council’s July 8 agenda.

If it passes a second time, it would create a Class C misdemeanor with a maximum $500 fine, Mayor Rogers said.