Apex schedules first e-bike and e-scooter safety meeting
Apex held its first e-bike and e-scooter safety meeting at Hunter Street Park as complaints grew about young riders on neighborhood streets and busy roads.
Apex set its first e-bike and e-scooter safety meeting for Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Hunter Street Park as complaints mounted about young riders speeding through neighborhood streets and along busier roads. Mayor Jacques Gilbert said he wanted the town to hear from riders, families and other residents before drafting any local rules, and he said responsible riders could eventually be recognized with a “seal of safety.”
The meeting comes as Apex has no specific rules for e-bikes or e-scooters, leaving a gap between the devices’ growing use and the town’s current policy framework. Gilbert’s approach points to a broader conversation about both enforcement and behavior, with the town looking for feedback before deciding whether formal regulations are needed.
Population growth helps explain why the issue has surfaced so quickly. Apex says its population estimate reached 85,721 as of May 31, 2026, up from 80,419 in the Census Bureau’s July 1, 2025 estimate and 58,780 in the 2020 Census. The town’s Bike Apex recommendations are built into its Bicycle and Pedestrian System Plan Map, which Apex describes as a living document that is regularly updated as new information and development come in.
Hunter Street Park gave the conversation a familiar neighborhood setting. The 12-acre park includes athletic fields, a dog park, picnic areas, a playground and a skate plaza, making it a natural place for families, teens and younger riders to show up and speak directly to town leaders about how they are using electric bikes and scooters in daily life.
State and national safety data show why local leaders are paying attention now. The North Carolina Department of Transportation groups bicycles, e-bikes, scooters and e-scooters under micromobility, and says fewer than 24% of bicyclists in North Carolina wear a bicycle helmet on the road, with children ages 6 to 18 significantly less likely to wear one. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said nearly half of estimated e-bike injuries from 2017 through 2022 occurred in 2022 alone, while e-scooter injuries rose 22% in 2022 from 2021.
The CPSC also said children 14 and younger accounted for about 36% of micromobility injuries over that period. A March 2026 State Affairs report added that North Carolina sees around 180 emergency-room visits each year involving juvenile e-scooter and e-bike accidents, and that 2025 brought more than 100 additional juvenile injuries than the previous year. Apex’s “In the Community” town-hall series, which the town says began in 2025, now gives the mayor a way to turn those concerns into a local policy discussion.
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