DOVER TOWNSHIP, YORK COUNTY—
A York County man finds himself at odds with the law after modifying his bicycle to help overcome his disability. Electrical engineer and cancer survivor Steve Hayes added a small battery-powered motor to the front wheel hub of his mountain bike. He can pedal the bike, but after battling cancer and living with diabetes sometimes his legs gives out. "I was afraid I would have an attack," Hayes said. "If I have an attack, I wind up crawling, so I designed the bike so that if I have an attack, and I need to get home, I don't have to call 911." Hayes said the motor is just an assist to a pedal-powered bike, but he added the motor makes the bike something totally different in PennDOT's eyes."This is a motor vehicle that requires a special title," Hayes said. It also requires special inspection and special insurance, he said. "Most of the insurance companies I spoke to, they laughed at me," Hayes said. He said paying for a special inspection and insurance would be prohibitively expensive. He said riding the bicycle makes him feel much better, and he wants to change the law to make it street legal. "He has gotten an enthusiasm (from riding the bike)," Hayes' wife, Doreen Hayes, said. "He goes out, he gets fresh air, he visits neighbors."
Hayes has been speaking with the offices of Congressman Todd Platts (R-Pa.) and Pa. Rep. Seth Grove (R-York County) to see if something can be done on the legislative level. "I'm here to make the law change for all disabled and handicapped people," Hayes said. "They deserve to enjoy what everybody else does."
