Babylon considers law change to ban electric bikes at beaches and parks
A scene at Cedar Beach in July 2022. Mark Miller, who is a partner for Salt Shack Seaside Grill at Cedar Beach, praised the new law additions. He said people complain about e-bikes racing through the area. Credit: Johnny Milano
The Town of Babylon wants beach and park visitors to leave their electric bikes at home and put away those red plastic cups with a pair of proposed law changes.
The town wants to ban the use of certain vehicles at its beaches and parks, including e-bikes, motorized scooters and golf carts. Babylon already bans go-karts, motorbikes and motorcycles in beach areas.
The areas covered under the ban include not only the sand but “parking facilities, playground areas and other areas under the jurisdiction of the town,” according to town spokesman Ryan Bonner.
The town is also looking to ban gatherings in town parking lots once people have been told by officials to leave. The new addition to the town’s loitering law would prohibit people from “gathering, standing or sitting in or around a parked vehicle or vehicles or in the parking lot medians or rights of way . . . after failing to disperse following a lawful order to do so.”
Violations of either proposed law carry a fine of between $500 and $2,500.
Public hearings on the laws will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Town Hall in Lindenhurst.
Gerard Gigante, Babylon's public safety commissioner, said the town “wanted to spell out” what is permitted at town beaches and parks. He said e-bikes in particular have been a growing problem.
“They’ll ride right up to the boardwalk and people don’t want that and it’s dangerous because they go at fast speeds,” he said.
Gigante said the town also has had increasing problems this summer with people gathering in parking lots to “pregame” with alcohol so they can save money at restaurants on site.
“We don’t want people hanging out and drinking,” he said. “There’s no open alcohol allowed, but everybody has red cups and you can’t determine if there’s alcohol in them.”
Mark Miller, who is a partner for Salt Shack Seaside Grill at Cedar Beach, praised the proposed additions. He said people complain about e-bikes racing through the area.
“They’re over in the marina and the campground and they come flying through the tunnel and want to fly through the Salt Shack but there’s a lot of people there,” he said.
He said employees have had to call 911 for drunken visitors in the parking lot.
“It’s gotten kind of out of control,” he said. “People are setting up a full camp out there with barbecues and have a full-on party going on out there. So I applaud what the town is doing.”
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
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