More local bike restrictions possible after Jacksonville parents report reckless mini bike riding

Some parents in Jacksonville’s Mandarin neighborhood believe they are seeing more groups of children recklessly riding mini-bikes in the neighborhood, reporting both close calls with drivers and disruptions to local businesses.

They shared recent TikTok videos with Action News Jax that show children on motorized bicycles doing “wheelies,” where the rider lifts their front wheel off the ground while moving and swerving in traffic, both on busy roads and in busy shopping malls.

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Some parents, like Sheena Chin, tell us that they have been seeing these behaviors for over a year and are starting to worry.

At first it was smaller, and it’s just getting bigger,” Chin said, “it’s not safe. As a parent, I’m just worried. I don’t want them to get into trouble and cause problems in the neighborhood.

Chin said he has seen groups of children on bikes fall or spin while riding in crosswalks or oncoming lanes of traffic on streets like Old St. Augustine Road. She thinks they are driving dangerously and disrupting traffic.

“I just want to make sure they don’t get hit by a vehicle and we don’t have a bigger problem on our hands,” Chin said.

Parents are not the only ones sharing their concerns. Action News Jax spoke to the Burlington store on Old St. Augustine Road and was told kids have been bringing bikes inside the store and disrupting shoppers for more than a month. The outlet called it a “major problem.”

Jacksonville City Council member Michael Boylan, who represents the Mandarin area, now wants to consider creating new citywide restrictions on bicycle traffic, in part to address these concerns. In particular, Boylan said he is considering limiting the size of motors on gas and electric bikes, as well as creating requirements requiring riders to wear helmets and complete training before hitting the road.

“It’s a concern that we need to continue to raise with everyone,” Boylan said.

Florida laws currently require motorized cyclists to stay as far away from the right side of the road as possible unless changing lanes to pass traffic. The state currently has no laws in place requiring e-bike users to be a certain age or wear a helmet.

Boylan told Action News Jax he wants to pass local biking restrictions within the next month, but believes parents need to be held accountable for their children’s behavior on the roads.

“We can legislate all we want, but realistically it will be up to families to make sure they are monitoring the use of these bikes,” Boylan said.

Action News Jax reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to ask if they have recently started doing more to enforce state and local bike laws, but we are still waiting for a response at this time.

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