Lake Oswego's push to regulate e-bikes got a regional audience Thursday, Aug. 6, when West Linn Police Chief Oddis Rollins and Happy Valley's Kevin McGrane presented enforcement case studies to the Clackamas County Coordinating Committee.

The presentation comes as Lake Oswego considers Ordinance 2980, which would add definitions and rules for where e-bikes and micromobility devices may be operated. Lake Oswego police have conducted e-bike focused patrols since at least July 2023, citing a significant increase in use and unsafe behavior, particularly among young riders.

The C4 committee, co-chaired by Clackamas County Commissioner Paul Savas and Canby Mayor Brian Hodson, met at 6:45 p.m. for its first session since May 7. The agenda packed three substantive items into the evening: an ODOT summer construction update, the e-bike enforcement presentations and a vote to prioritize topics from the committee's recent retreat.

E-bike enforcement case studies

Rollins and McGrane took the floor at 7:10 p.m. to walk through case studies and field questions from committee members representing cities across Clackamas County.

Under Oregon law, e-bikes are limited to 1,000 watts of motor output and 20 mph on level ground without pedaling. Riders must be at least 16, cannot ride on sidewalks and must use a bike lane when one is adjacent to a roadway.

ODOT construction update

Paul Scarlett of ODOT opened the substantive portion of the meeting at 6:50 p.m. with a summer construction update. The specific projects Scarlett covered have not been publicly detailed, but the most significant ODOT work in the area remains the Abernethy Bridge seismic retrofit and widening on I-205 in West Linn.

That project, which began in 2022, is now more than 200 days behind its original 2026 completion target, according to information ODOT staff presented to the Oregon Transportation Commission in March. The contractor's current schedule shows completion in May 2027. The project's $672 million construction authorization is likely insufficient, with total costs estimated near $815 million.

Northbound I-205 and the OR 43 on-ramp saw overnight closures July 16 and 17 for concrete pouring at the bridge.

Retreat priorities

Jaimie Lorenzini of Clackamas County staff led a discussion at 7:55 p.m. to prioritize topics of interest from the committee's retreat. The agenda listed this as an action item, meaning the committee was expected to vote. Meeting minutes have not yet been posted, so the specific topics prioritized are not yet public.

The committee also received updates on regional transportation bodies including JPACT, MPAC and ODOT's Region 1 Active Transportation Committee.

The C4 committee's next meeting date has not been announced. Meeting materials are available on the county's C4 page, and free language assistance is available through Lorenzini at [email protected] or 971-469-1468.