Corpus Christi police are cracking down on illegal e-bikes and mini motorcycles, warning that parents could be cited if their children are caught riding them in public.
The Corpus Christi Police Department is introducing new enforcement tactics to address the growing number of pocket bikes and electric motorcycles on city streets.
"As far as the kids are concerned, we can still impound their bike, but we can cite the parents for allowing the kids to ride their bikes on the roadway," Captain Timothy Frazier said.
"So while we're trying to strike a great balance between enforcement and allowing kids to be kids, we still need to make sure that they're safe," Frazier said.
Frazier told the City Council that these vehicles are not just dangerous, but illegal.
"It's no longer considered really an e-bike. It is now a pocket bike or an electric motorcycle, and those are not legal in any public area, not on a sidewalk, not on a roadway, not in a bike path. Nowhere in the public are those allowed," Frazier said.
I reported on this e-bike problem back in March when safety concerns were on the rise, but police say the issue has been building for a couple of years.
"This has been going on for a couple of years, where we've had the little pocket bikes, mini motorcycles, whatever you wanna say is, you know, they kind of ride around and technically by law they're illegal to be riding around in public," Frazier said.
"The issue is that we have seen a number of these um. It's been basically more of a proliferation, right? More kids," Frazier said.
For parents like Nikkee Clees on the island, the enforcement push cannot come soon enough.
"I sure hope so, I'm sure there's going to be a lot of angry parents out on the island cause we all enjoy seeing the kids smiling and laughing and having a good time being kids again and being out of the house," Clees said.
"But at the end of the day, I don't think anyone wants to see these children get hurt," Clees said.
CCPD Chief Markle said education is the first step. The department is releasing a new commercial about the bikes this week and making a bigger push on social media.
Police also plan to work with neighborhood watch groups across the city and deploy officers to known hot spots.
"We can interact with our neighbors on watch. We have several groups around the city that we can interact with, and talk to the community members within them," Markle said.
With police now putting the responsibility on parents, they are making it clear that if a child is on an illegal e-bike, the parents could be held accountable.
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