A coalition of Tualatin police officers, school district staff and medical professionals plans to bring e-bike and e-scooter safety lessons to Hazelbrook Middle School starting Monday, Sept. 28.
The Tualatin Coalition for E-Safety will run a week-long program through Friday, Oct. 2, featuring assemblies, classroom lessons, hands-on demonstrations and helmet fittings, Tualatin Life first reported.
The group of about 10 members includes Tualatin Police Captain Eric French, Tigard-Tualatin School District (TTSD) Safe Routes Coordinator Dan Keller and Randall Children's Hospital Injury Prevention Program Supervisor Amber Kroeker.
The coalition formed after residents in the Byrom Neighborhood Community Involvement Association raised concerns about electric bikes and scooters in Tualatin. It held its first meeting in May.
Beth Dittman, a Tualatin Parks and Advisory Committee member who facilitates the coalition, said the effort pulls together people from agencies that don't usually coordinate on this issue. Dittman is also a candidate for Tualatin City Council Position 5.
"It's an interesting space where no one person is in charge," Dittman told Tualatin Life. "The coalition meetings are really about all these different stakeholders from different organizations and groups coming together."
Two forces are driving the effort. Oregon House Bill 4007, passed in April 2026, lowers the minimum age to ride a Class 1 e-bike from 16 to 14, effective Jan. 1, 2027.
Class 1 e-bikes use pedal-assist motors capped at 20 mph. The minimum age for Class 2 e-bikes, which have a throttle, stays at 16, according to the Register-Guard.
Statewide injury numbers are also climbing. The coalition cited Oregon Health Authority data showing 211 e-scooter injuries reported by Oregon hospitals in 2021.
In the first nine months of 2025, that count reached 509. Danny O'Neal, who helped launch the coalition, said the last available tally for all of 2025 reached 639 injuries.
The program targets sixth graders who are too young to legally ride e-bikes. Dittman said the goal is to "teach upstream," giving students the rules and safety skills before they reach legal riding age.
Dittman presented the plan to the Tualatin City Council on July 27. The coalition is seeking grant funding to expand its work beyond Hazelbrook.
A community listening session is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 6 p.m. at Hazelbrook Middle School, where residents can weigh in on electric mobility in Tualatin. Residents with safety concerns can contact the Tualatin Police Department's non-emergency line.
