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Multiple cities across Orange County—including Rancho Santa Margarita, Huntington Beach, Buena Park, Lake Forest, Aliso Viejo, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and unincorporated Orange County—are drafting their own unique regulations for e-bikes.
I’m not disputing that there’s an issue. Every automobile driver has likely encountered an irresponsible e-bike rider, and many pedestrians probably feel the same way. But e-bikes themselves are not the problem.
Every driver, pedestrian, and cyclist has also encountered reckless automobile drivers—speeding, tailgating, making unsafe lane changes or turns. Yet, we don’t address this issue by allowing each city to create its own vehicle code or by piling extra regulations onto automobiles. Instead, we enact statewide traffic laws designed to promote safety and rely on law enforcement to hold violators accountable.
For example, while speed limits rarely exceed 75 mph in most of the country, we don’t ban cars capable of going over 130 mph. We simply ticket or arrest those who exceed legal limits.
Transportation tools — whether automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles, or e-bikes—can be used safely or unsafely. E-bikes should be treated no differently than automobiles:
- We establish clear safety standards for vehicles, ensuring they have functional brakes, steering, and adequate tires. (Electric dirt bikes are a separate category and require their own regulations.)
- We enforce well-defined operational rules for safe usage.
- We empower police to cite or arrest those who endanger others by violating these rules.
Rather than creating a patchwork of city-by-city regulations, we need uniform statewide standards for e-bike safety and operation. Punishing responsible riders to regulate reckless ones makes no more sense than restricting responsible drivers due to bad actors on the road.
The Reality of Cycling Safety
There’s another aspect of this issue that only cyclists truly understand: infrastructure.
Bike lanes are not everywhere, and when they do exist, they are rarely protected from automobile traffic. Cyclists, often traveling at 10-15 mph, share the road with 3,000-5,000 lb. vehicles moving at 35-50 mph. California law mandates that drivers give cyclists at least three feet of clearance, yet many fail to do so—and citations for this violation are virtually nonexistent.
Even where bike lanes exist, they often end abruptly, forcing cyclists to merge into faster-moving traffic. This is frustrating for drivers and dangerous for cyclists.
As a result, many cyclists — e-bike riders included — resort to sidewalks for their own safety. When they do, they must respect pedestrians, yield the right-of-way, and signal their presence to avoid startling those on foot. The sidewalk experience for pedestrians mirrors the road experience for cyclists: vulnerability to faster-moving travelers.
A Smarter Approach
While better cycling infrastructure would resolve many of these issues, such solutions require time, funding, and political will. In the meantime, instead of a fragmented system of local e-bike laws, we need statewide consistency. A cyclist should not unknowingly violate local laws simply by crossing into another city—just as drivers would never accept such a chaotic regulatory landscape.
Recognizing the Benefits of E-Bikes
Beyond safety concerns, let’s acknowledge the positive impact of e-bikes:
- Most e-bike trips replace car trips, reducing pollution, conserving fuel, and minimizing road wear.
- Many e-bike riders use pedal assist, which promotes exercise, improves cardiovascular health, and lowers healthcare costs in the long run.
The Real Issue: Unsafe Operation, Not E-Bikes
Rather than demonizing e-bikes, we need to redefine the problem. The issue isn’t e-bikes themselves — it’s their unsafe operation. The solution isn’t a patchwork of conflicting city laws but rather a unified approach:
- Maintain clear vehicle classifications (Class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes per the DMV guidelines).
- Establish and enforce statewide safety and operational rules.
- Hold reckless riders accountable, just as we do with unsafe drivers.
What can you do?
- Advocate for better cycling and pedestrian infrastructure to your city, county, and state representatives. (Check out Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program.)
- Advocate for uniform laws and regulations governing e-bikes, just like we have for automobiles – tell city officials not to create regulations unique to your city. (See sample legislation.)
- Ask your police force, whether city- or county-operated, to enforce safe riding laws on e-bike riders.
Let’s regulate the behavior, not the tool.
David Rynerson is a retired technology systems engineer with a background in economics. He is an automobile driver, a cyclist, and an e-bike rider with first-hand experience of the topics in this opinion. He is a member of CalBike and lives in Huntington Beach, CA.
Opinions expressed in community opinion pieces belong to the authors and not Voice of OC.
Voice of OC is interested in hearing different perspectives and voices. If you want to weigh in on this issue or others please email opinions@voiceofoc.org.
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