The San Diego City Council is set to consider a new e-bike ordinance Tuesday that would place additional restrictions on riders and expand safety education efforts following a significant increase in e-bike-related injuries.
The proposal, introduced by Seventh District Councilmember Raul Campillo, comes after a Rady Children’s Hospital study found a sharp rise in traumatic injuries involving e-bikes in recent years.
Campillo said residents have been calling for stronger regulations.
“Parents have been begging for rules like this people have been harmed by people have said we really need to some good regulations in place.”
The proposal is modeled after California Assembly Bill 2234, and would prohibit children under the age of 12 from riding e-bikes.
“That’s the cap we can’t go higher than that we’ve heard many constituents ask us, can’t we do teenagers can’t we have more regulations?” Campillo said.
The ordinance would also prohibit passengers from riding on e-bikes that are not designed to carry two people.
Campillo said some e-bike owners have argued there is little difference between an electric bicycle and a traditional pedal bike. However, he said the acceleration capabilities of e-bikes create additional safety concerns.
“An e-bike you can turn the throttle you go from zero to 20 in a matter of a few seconds its really about that momentum and that acceleration that is the danger.”
A Rady Children’s Hospital study found that 262 traumatic injuries involving e-bikes were treated at the hospital in 2025. Five years earlier, the hospital had treated no traumatic injuries related to e-bikes.
Campillo said the injuries can be severe.
“Not just basic scrapped knees we’re talking broken collar bones broken legs we’re talking about traumatic brain injuries that’s what we want to prevent.”
The proposal emphasizes education before enforcement. If approved, the first 60 days would focus on public outreach, parent education and warnings for violators.
After that period, violations could result in a $25 fine.
Campillo said he expects the ordinance to pass because it was approved unanimously in committee. If adopted, enforcement could begin before the end of summer.
The proposal also allows people who receive a citation to avoid the fine by completing a free CHP-certified e-bike course within 120 days.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.