California is on the cusp of an urban mobility breakthrough, and electric bikes are leading the charge. These pedal-assist machines make hills disappear, haul cargo and passengers with ease, and give commuters a genuine alternative to sitting in traffic or waiting for a bus that never seems to come on time.
I know this firsthand. For three years now, I’ve relied on an e-bike for everything from a 23-mile cross-city commute to weekend outings with friends at spots where finding street parking takes longer than the ride itself. In a region choked by congestion and smog, calling these bikes life-changing isn’t an exaggeration.
Still, a wave of media coverage highlighting a spike in e-bike-related injuries has pushed local and state officials toward tighter restrictions. Earlier this year, it looked as though California lawmakers were ready to slam the brakes on this growing form of transportation. Fortunately, cooler heads have prevailed, and the Legislature now appears focused on smarter, more targeted safety measures rather than blanket crackdowns.
State lawmakers introduced at least eight bills this session aimed at e-bike safety. One would have imposed licensing and registration requirements on most e-bikes. Another would have redefined the state’s classification system so broadly that the majority of e-bikes already on California streets would suddenly become illegal.
Both measures failed to advance — a relief for anyone who values a clean, efficient and enjoyable transportation option that has become a major driver of growth in the bicycle industry.
By contrast, Senate Bill 1167, authored by Sen. Catherine Blakespear, takes a more measured approach to the real safety issue at hand: high-powered electric motorcycles being marketed and sold as e-bikes. The bill cleared the state Senate in May and is now working its way through the Assembly.
Under current California law, an e-bike’s motor cannot push it faster than 28 mph, and models available to riders under 16 are limited to even lower speeds. Yet plenty of devices on the market blow past those limits — sometimes by a wide margin — while still being marketed as e-bikes. In reality, these are electric motorcycles wearing a thin disguise of pedals. I’ve seen machines capable of highway-adjacent speeds sold as “e-bikes” simply because they happen to have pedals bolted on somewhere.
These souped-up electric motorcycles are frequently the culprits behind alarming headlines about reckless teens tearing through neighborhoods on “e-bikes.” A June 10 Los Angeles Times story, “California’s new Hells Angels: Teens on e-bikes cut a path of danger,” is a prime example — the accompanying photos show vehicles that are clearly not e-bikes by any reasonable definition.
SB 1167 aims to close that loophole by making it illegal for manufacturers and retailers to label these motorcycles as e-bikes. It would also require sellers to clearly disclose to buyers when a product doesn’t meet the legal definition of an e-bike, helping shoppers avoid unintentionally purchasing something far more powerful — and dangerous — than they intended.
That’s not to say legitimate e-bikes are risk-free. Recent studies have documented a troubling rise in the number of children arriving at emergency rooms with serious injuries from motorized bike crashes.
“We’re seeing a high concentration of injuries in children and young adults, many of whom now face lifelong disability,” Dr. Timothy Browder, trauma medical director at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, told the Senate Transportation Committee last month while testifying in support of Assembly Bill 2346, another e-bike safety proposal. “From our bedside conversations, it is clear that parents and consumers are confused. They often do not realize how fast these devices go or that modifying them is illegal.”
But Robin Pam of Streets for All, an advocacy group focused on cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, questions whether some of this injury data conflates true e-bikes with far more powerful electric motorcycles. During a webinar last week hosted by her organization, Pam pointed to a study released last year by San Jose State University’s Mineta Transportation Institute, which cautioned that rising injury statistics often fail to distinguish between legitimate e-bikes and unregulated, overpowered devices.
SB 1167 could help clear up that confusion. Motorized bicycles are already required to display a permanent label listing their wattage and top assisted speed. Blakespear’s bill would require law enforcement to record that information when documenting crashes or injuries — creating a data-driven foundation for future e-bike policy, including any potential licensing rules or age restrictions, rather than relying on assumptions or fear.
Thoughtful safety regulation doesn’t have to come at the cost of e-bike adoption or the many benefits these machines offer to traffic-choked cities across Southern California and beyond. Policies grounded in solid data — rather than public panic — might just be what convinces more residents to trade four wheels for two.
Original source: CalMatters
