Dr. Monissa Solberg understands the safety concerns surrounding electric scooters, but believes that Barrington has crossed a line with its recent restrictions and public messaging.

Earlier this month, the Barrington Town Council approved an ordinance change that prohibits people from riding electric scooters and electric bikes on sidewalks and on town-owned property, such as ballfields. That move followed a decision by the owner of the Barrington Shopping Center to ban the use of e-scooters and e-bikes inside the plaza. 

Dr. Solberg said her sons and their friends often feel like they are being targeted for rude remarks while they are riding their scooters in town. She said there is a growing animosity against the young e-scooter riders.

Dr. Solberg is also concerned that anti-e-scooter sentiment is creating an unhealthy relationship between local children and the Barrington Police Department. 

“I understand the importance of public safety. Accidents happen, and reasonable rules are necessary. However, I believe we have gone too far when our children feel unwelcome in their own community,” Dr. Solberg wrote in a recent letter to the editor.

“As a psychiatrist, I believe we must consider not only physical safety but also the emotional and social consequences of these policies. Adolescence is a critical time for developing independence, building friendships, and establishing a sense of belonging. We should be encouraging young people to get outside, socialize, be active, and learn responsibility—not making them feel that their presence in public spaces is a problem.”

Dr. Solberg said her younger son Stuart was riding his e-scooter home from school last week when a woman driving a car honked at him and then pulled up beside him and flipped him the middle finger. The woman’s daughter was sitting in the passenger seat, Dr. Solberg said. 

“He came home so upset,” Dr. Solberg said during an interview last week. “He slammed the door. He was like, ‘What's wrong with people?’ He's like, ‘I wasn't doing anything. Why am I getting flipped off? Why am I being treated this way?’”

Dr. Solberg said her older son Stig and his friends were targeted at a local restaurant earlier this fall. She said  Stig had e-scootered with his friends to Chipotle for something to eat. Dr. Solberg said Stig and his friends parked their e-scooters outside the restaurant — a few minutes later, a man exiting the restaurant intentionally kicked over the e-scooters. 

“So these are obvious examples of a growing tension that's surfacing,” she said. 

She wrote in her letter: “My own children are now afraid to go out and enjoy Barrington because they worry about getting in trouble with the police. Their friends share similar fears. These are not isolated concerns within my family. When children begin to feel like public enemy number one in their hometown, we should stop and ask ourselves whether our approach is working.”

Safety first

Barrington Police Chief Michael Correia said the safe operation of e-scooters has been an issue in town. A few weeks ago, a 15-year-old Barrington boy was riding his e-scooter through the Barrington Shopping Center — riding in the opposite direction of vehicle traffic — when he collided with a car that was driving through the center. The boy narrowly escaped being seriously injured, or worse, said Chief Correia. 

“It’s a big issue… and I think there is two sides to the story,” he said. “Based on the calls (to the police department) for service, it is a concern. Many people in town are concerned about the number of e-scooters on the road.”

Chief Correia said the concerns also surround the safe operation of those scooters. He said many of the children riding the e-scooters do not know the rules of the road. He said they have not taken driver’s education. They have not passed a driver’s license test. 

“We’re trying to prevent an accident,” he said. “I am on record that I am concerned. I do think it’s a safety issue.”

Chief Correia said he can understand Dr. Solberg’s perspective on the issue. He added: “I’m not looking to criminalize kids under the age of 16. That’s the last thing I want to do.

“I just don’t want to see a young kid seriously hurt or worse (in our community).”

Serious or fatal accidents involving children riding e-scooters have been reported across the country. Chief Correia has said the popularity of e-scooters has outpaced the creation of statutes to govern the safe operation of the vehicles. He said it forced him to get creative with enforcing safe use of the e-scooters. 

“Again, we’re trying to use measured enforcement,” he said. 

The chief said the town council’s recent vote to amend an ordinance banning the use of e-scooters and e-bikes on sidewalks stems from a genuine concern for safety. 

Kids first community

Dr. Solberg said she moved to town about two years ago looking for a community that was welcoming toward children.

“Kids on their scooters, on their bicycles, you know, kids downtown, socializing,” she said. 

After they started school this year, Dr. Solberg’s sons discovered most of their friends had e-scooters. They rode them to school, to the stores in downtown Barrington and to each other’s houses. 

“Both my boys came home and they're like, ‘We want e-scooters,’” she said. 

Stu said it was nearly impossible to keep up with his friends when he rode his peddle bike — their e-scooters were faster. 

“All the kids have e-scooters, all of our friends. This is so much fun,” he said. “We want, you know, we want the independence. 

“Those kids, they were, like, hanging out. They went everywhere with their e-scooters. And if I tried to, like, hang out with them, I just couldn't really catch up because I was on a bike.”

Stig, 14, got his e-scooter first and then Stu, 12, was next. 

“It was like a whole new world,” Dr. Solberg said. “I mean, these kids, they were coming and going as they played. I loved it. There was no more drop-off/pickup, they were going to their friends' houses. I would put money on their Apple Cash. They'd go downtown, you know, get Starbucks, get Chipotle. They made so many friends. It was just, it was great. 

“And because we live so close to the school, the kids started coming to our house a lot right after school…They'd get snacks, drop off their backpacks, and they'd be gone for two hours.”

Meanwhile, the landscape for e-scooters and e-bikes was changing in Barrington. The owner of the Barrington Shopping Center created a new rule banning the use of e-scooters and e-bikes in the plaza. Then, in early October, members of the town council voted 3-0 to amend an ordinance, prohibiting the use of e-scooters and e-bikes on sidewalks and town-owned property. 

Dr. Solberg said that change forced young kids to ride their e-scooters in the roads, sharing the narrow space with cars, trucks and SUVs. 

She said the police department is left enforcing the new rules, which has created an “us versus them” attitude among some children in town.

“I respect the important role our police play in keeping Barrington safe. However, we should be building trust between our children and law enforcement, not creating an environment where children are afraid to leave home for fear of being confronted,” Dr. Solberg wrote in her letter.

“Barrington prides itself on being a family-friendly community. That should mean more than good schools and beautiful neighborhoods. It should mean making room for our children to grow, socialize, and enjoy their hometown. Our children are not the enemy. They are members of this community, and they deserve to be treated that way. Let’s protect public safety without making our children feel they no longer belong here.”