It seems like gas-powered and electric-charged minibikes are all over the place.

Teens and young adults are being spotted riding in groups on the narrow roadways in Palmer Park.

They’re popping wheelies down busy Tejon Street.

They’re cruising the Banning Lewis Ranch neighborhood nearly nightly, according to residents.

“They ride in your lane, they cut you off, they run red lights. These kids are giving us a bad name — even though we push them to ride responsibly,” said Erik Peat, parts manager at Apex Sports. The longtime locally owned business in downtown Colorado Springs sells a variety of motorcycles, dirt bikes and minibikes.

But it’s illegal to ride minibikes or similar vehicles that are propelled by a throttle — as opposed to functional pedals — on paved or dirt roads and park trails, officials say.

One caveat: some dirt bikes can be street legal if they’re licensed, titled and insured.

Minibikes, however, don’t qualify to be registered and plated because they lack proper safety equipment such as lights.

The low-sitting two-wheelers are designed for off-road use only, on designated trails on forest lands, in the pit area of a racetrack or at closed-course facilities, for example, Peat said. Not alongside motorists or pedestrians.

Though the bikes come with warnings, like many communities Colorado Springs has seen an increase in unauthorized minibike use, said city spokesperson Max D’Onofrio. Not only on the roads, but also in parks.

“City parks and trails are intended to be safe, welcoming places for everyone to enjoy. Gas- and electric-powered minibikes are not allowed on city park trails because they create safety risks for hikers, cyclists, children and other visitors and they can damage trails and natural areas,” he said.

They’re also perilous on sidewalks, streets and adjacent lanes meant for bicyclists, not motorcyclists.

Today’s electric motorbikes, bicycles and scooters are faster, more powerful and more accessible than ever before, said Derek Wilson, senior public communications specialist with Colorado Springs Police Department.

“Power-assisted vehicles themselves are not inherently dangerous — it’s unsafe operation that creates the greatest risk,” he said. “When operated recklessly or in areas where they are not permitted, the risk of serious crashes and injuries increases significantly.”

Two fatalities involving nontraditional transportation occurred in Colorado Springs on June 15.

Around midday on that Monday, a vehicle and a scooter collided at 400 North Circle Drive, killing the scooter driver, 44-year-old Bethany Selby, police said.

Shortly before 7 p.m. that night, a minibike rider traveling south on Union Boulevard toward Dublin Boulevard collided with an eastbound vehicle on Dublin.

The 16-year-old male minibike driver was taken to a hospital but died five days later from his injuries, according to police.

In investigating the crash, police said three people were riding minibikes on the street going south on Union that night. One entered the intersection against a red light when he was struck.

A few weeks ago, another minibike operator on the road at Platte Avenue and Union Boulevard was hit when a car turned left in front of him. Police said he was not seriously injured.

Another scooter rider died at Circle Boulevard and Fountain Avenue on March 19, and in another case that happened this year, a girl riding a scooter on the street was seriously injured by a vehicle, according to police.

Though such products have been around for decades, they’re now proliferating where they’re not supposed to be.

Peat blames trending videos on TikTok and Instagram showing masses of minibike riders on the streets across the nation and parents’ lack of knowledge or inattention to the problem.

When he was growing up, Peat said kids would attach a lawn mower motor to a bike frame and ride it around their yard but never on the streets. There would be unpleasant consequences for not staying out of traffic, he said.

Now, Wilson said, when police officers approach adults and juveniles about riding recklessly on trails, roadways, sidewalks and private property, “They run and evade enforcement when we try to stop them.”

And when citizens report they tried to address their concerns with juveniles, the kids “tend to be rude and argumentative and basically don’t heed the concerns or warnings,” Wilson said.

On the morning of July 2, Colorado State Patrol Trooper Nate Alluisi came across an 8-year-old riding a 2,000-watt electric motorcycle on a sidewalk near Highway 50 in Salida, according to a warning Colorado State Patrol issued about the subject last week.

Alluisi explained to the child that although the motorcycle is electric and quieter than a gas-powered dirt bike, it is still an off-road vehicle and cannot legally be ridden on public streets or sidewalks. The child was able to push the motorcycle a short distance home, he said.

Authorities hear a range of excuses from riders, Wilson said. Most of the time, riders claim they didn’t know what they were doing was not permitted or unsafe, he said. And, “With parents we speak to, responses range from very concerned to dismissive.”

The multitude of bike choices on the market has caused confusion, said Col. Mathew C. Packard, chief of Colorado State Patrol.

“Sometimes what a retailer is calling an ‘e-bike’ is not a bike at all,” he said in last week’s news release. “Any two-wheeled vehicle that has a motor exceeding 750 watts, speeds exceeding 28 mph or no functional pedals, may be reclassified as a moped or motorcycle.”

If an e-bike is modified to go faster than 28 mph, it would also be considered a moped or motorcycle, he said.

And each type of vehicle has different legal or safety requirements.

“One of the biggest oversights we are seeing is that kids under the age of 16 are riding two-wheeled vehicles that are classified as mopeds or motorcycles,” Packard said.

Those require operators to be at least 16 years old and have a driver’s license with a full motorcycle endorsement that mandates completing a safety course. Under state law, the devices also must be registered and licensed.

Municipal ordinances and state laws govern operation of bicycles, electric scooters, e-bikes and other mobility devices.

Colorado Springs police can issue a $50 citation plus court costs for unlawfully operating certain power-assisted vehicles on public roadways.

In addition, drivers can be ticketed for such offenses as reckless driving, registration violations, safety equipment violations, reckless endangerment, trespassing or speeding, each with separate penalties.

“We have given a high number of warnings,” Wilson said. “We strive to educate and encourage individuals to make good choices, be mindful of others and ride safely.”

Sworn police officers who work in schools also speak with students and parents about regulations and safety protocols.

Colorado State Patrol said the agency encourages parents and riders to understand how a device is legally classified before taking it onto a public roadway, bike path or sidewalk.

“A device’s appearance, speed and motor wattage matter and being electric does not automatically make it a street-legal e-bike,” the news release said. “Know the device, wear a helmet and make safety the priority on every ride.”

The city’s D’Onofrio said parents and guardians have an important role to play.

“Before purchasing a minibike or allowing a child to ride one, understand where these vehicles can and cannot be operated,” he said. “Choosing legal places to ride helps protect other park users and preserves the parks and trails that belong to everyone.”

The city’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department is adding additional signage that indicates where the devices are not allowed, D’Onofrio said.