Bloomfield Township riders under 16 can no longer use e-bikes or e-scooters on sidewalks and township property after the Board of Trustees voted Monday, Sept. 14, for a six-month moratorium.

Violators will have their devices confiscated. Police will return them to parents.

The board acted one week after two 13-year-old boys were critically injured while riding an e-moto across Telegraph Road at Hickory Grove, according to Fox 2 Detroit. Police said a Ford F-250 struck the boys around noon on Monday, Sept. 7. Both were listed in critical condition. No update on their condition has been released.

The moratorium gives the board time to draft a permanent ordinance governing e-bike and e-scooter use in the township. Residents who believe they qualify for an exception may file a written request for an exemption.

Township Supervisor Mike McCready had signaled the move days earlier. After the Sept. 8 crash, McCready said he would push for a moratorium and was prepared for legal challenges, WXYZ reported.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard, who has urged action on e-bike safety since at least August, repeated his call for the Michigan Legislature to overhaul regulations for all electric two-wheeled vehicles.

"There's a lot of confusion because there's also 3 classes of e-bikes," Bouchard said in a Sept. 8 Fox 2 Detroit report on the crash. "And each requires different things: where you can ride it, who can ride it, what you have to be wearing."

Police said the Sept. 8 crash is part of a broader increase in vehicle-e-bike collisions. Under Michigan law, e-motos lack fully operable pedals, exceed 750 watts and can surpass 28 mph. They are classified more like mopeds than e-bikes and require a driver's license with a cycle endorsement.

The two injured boys, both set to start eighth grade at North Hills Middle School, were riding together on one e-moto when the collision occurred. Witnesses told police the truck driver had a green light and did not see the teens. The driver, a 35-year-old Rochester Hills man, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, according to WXYZ.

Neighboring Beverly Hills is also weighing e-bike rules. The village set a public hearing for Sept. 15 on the same issue.

The board has not announced a date for considering a permanent ordinance.