LIBERTY LAKE, Wash. — Liberty Lake Police Department addressed a packed community meeting this week to educate residents about safety rules for golf carts and e-bikes as warmer weather brings more of these vehicles onto local roads.
The presentation comes after two incidents this year involving golf carts or e-bikes that resulted in people being hospitalized. Both incidents occurred on roads with speed limits higher than 25 miles per hour.
“One of the main concerns we have is just the roadways. Or people and kids on the roadways and making sure they’re staying safe with vehicular traffic. I think that’s probably the major concern that we’re going to be focused on as a law enforcement agency,” said Deputy Chief Darin Morgan of the Liberty Lake Police Department.
Police emphasized that golf carts and e-bikes are only permitted on streets where the speed limit is less than 20 miles per hour, a rule that some residents say is frequently violated.
“Riding the golf carts from your house to the golf course or those kids, riding the bikes and the e-motorcycles all over,” said James Edwards, a Liberty Lake resident who attended the meeting. “You know, just like most things, there’s some bad actors. And as Liberty Lake continues to grow, it’s just become more prevalent.”
Starting July 1st, police will take a more proactive approach to enforcing state laws regarding children operating these vehicles. Under state law, there are only two classifications of e-bikes that children under 16 can legally drive. Police will also crack down on children illegally driving golf carts or motorcycles without proper licenses.
“We’ve had some problems with some of the community members that have had injuries with accidents and scooter incidents, and you’ve had quite an increase of people complaining about some things taking place,” Morgan said.
Community members expressed concerns about speeding and failure to yield to pedestrians and vehicle traffic.
“There were a lot of people concerned that when they’re walking down the street, that somebody zooms by them rather than yielding to pedestrian traffic or to car traffic,” Edwards said.
The educational approach reflects the community’s desire to maintain the recreational benefits of golf cart and e-bike use while ensuring public safety.
“I hope that it’s a wake up mostly for people and that we can follow the rules together. And it kind of becomes a moot point,” Edwards said.
The Liberty Lake Police Department plans to continue monitoring roadway safety as the community grows and recreational vehicle use increases during the warmer months.
COPYRIGHT 2026 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
