SAUGUS — The town will host a forum on e-bikes and scooters on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, following concerns raised throughout town about the vehicles.
“I’m looking to us beginning the process with the e-bike forum,” Selectman Jeffrey Cicolini said during a Board of Selectmen meeting. “I know, Madame Chair, thank you for your efforts doing the coordination with School Committee and members, and making sure Town Meeting members are notified through the clerk.
Cicolini continued that he thinks that as a community, they can hopefully come together.
“I’ve had several discussions with the police chief to give the community a sense of where we are today with our allowable enforcement rules and perhaps maybe where we could end up with modifications as we await our state delegation,” he said.
Cicolini said that he has received confirmation that all three of Saugus’ state delegates, State Rep. Donald Wong, State Rep. Jessica Giannino, and Sen. Brendan Crighton will be at the forum.
“I look forward to getting a status update of where the legislation is within the state as well,” he said.
He said that this is the perfect time to address the situation while it’s still winter.
“Once spring hits, that’s when the e-bikes are going to be back on the road again,” he said. “Anything we can do beforehand would be great. So, I appreciate your (Chair Debra Panetta) effort and everybody’s effort,” he said.
Panetta also said the town has been working with Deborah Creithin from Massachusetts Safe Routes to School, a MassDOT program, along with Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli, Principal Carla Scuzzarella, and School Committee Chair Thomas Whittredge.
“It’s really been a team effort. Thank you, too, to the town manager. It’s been a team effort to bring this to our community. But we all heard loud and clear that e-bikes and the scooters have been a problem in our town, and we want to be proactive, trying to bring education to everyone,” she said.
