Good evening.

This is the work session meeting of October 20th, 2025.

The time is 602.

This council is now in session.

Please stand and join us for the pledge of allegiance.

I pledge allegiance.

Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

And to the Republic for which it stands.

Liberty and Justice for all.

Madam, could you call the roll, please?

Councilmember Brescia.

Here.

Councilmember Coyle.

Councilmember Harris.

Here.

Councilmember Patel.

Councilmember Peteel.

Here.

Councilmember Pointer.

Present.

Councilmember Schmuel.

Yeah.

Madam Clerk, could you read adequate notice?

Adequate notes of this meeting as required by the Open Public Meeting Act of 1975 has been provided by the annual notice sent to the Home News Tribune, Strong Ledger, Tesi Talk and News India Times on November 18th, 2024, and post main lobby municipal complex on the same date.

Thank you.

Any comments for the combined meeting of October 8th?

Okay, seeing none.

Any comments on any of these ordinances?

Council President?

Yes.

Council presentation.

A question to the administration if I can.

Can an explanation be provided as to why that separation was put in there are you referring to the ordinance or the electric scooters?

So it was in there just to differentiate between under 18 and over 18.

Is there any other like that's the only reason?

I can have the chief explain.

Yeah, I'm just curious if there's uh I don't know, a benefit to having that separation out.

Because my immediate thing is I'm gonna I, as a parent, may potentially be fined for an action of another.

Right.

That's how I'm interpreting the ordinance.

So if an explanation can be provided, I'd appreciate it.

Yes, and I I would add actually, Council Vice President and I spoke about this last night, and a question I had to to piggyback on to his has to do with that for the uh under 18 uh that in addition to the fines, that there's the confiscation of the bicycles, whereas for the over 18, it does not seem to be the confiscation, even for a temporary period of time.

So I wanted some clarification on that as well.

So Council President, as you know, we've had uh some situations in Edison Township just most recently where we had a juvenile girl that was injured severely on Talmuds Road.

We had another one take place uh just a few nights ago on Plainfield Avenue in Jefferson.

So what's happening is they're not bicycles and they're not motorized uh pedal assisted bicycles.

They're actually the scooters that you see, they're usually a class three where they really would be characterized as a motorcycle.

But as we all see on Route 27, Plainfield Avenue throughout the town, they're traveling on the highways at a high rate of speed.

The state says that they cannot uh travel faster than 19 miles per hour.

Um the manufacturers usually are supposed to limit them to 20 miles per hour.

However, um these scooters are being sold to people, uh the parents, the kids, um they do 35 miles per hour, and some of them are modified to do up to 45 miles per hour.

So they're I just want to be clear, they're the electric scooters.

The decision was made that um if a juvenile is on one and he's and they are in violation, uh that the parents would be uh ticketed or uh issued a summons.

And then uh Councilman Pointer, so we would have the option to enforce this under Title 39 or under the local ordinance also.

So we we have that option as far as the Edison police um enforcing that.

And as far as uh it would be called impounding it.

So for example, if there's uh a juvenile that's on Route 27 traveling and um the officer stops them and uh the vehicle would be impounded, so their parents would have to come and get the vehicle out of impoundment, and that's where they they would be issued the summons for that violation.

But it does not prohibit these vehicles from being on um roadways outside of the highways.

So if they in fact are in a cul-de-sac or in the neighborhood, uh they can still operate there.

It's just getting them off the highways.