![\"American](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/042726ebikes-3.jpg\")
American River Bike Patrol members Vic Massenkoff (left) and Christopher Warren Tuesday, March 17, 2026, along the American River Parkway in Rancho Cordova.(Gerardo Zavala\/CapRadio) <\/p>\nTwo cyclists speed past members of the American River Bike Patrol blasting music from portable speakers.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever too late for a helmet,\u201d Vic Massenkoff with the patrol yells as they pass by.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s clear to Massenkoff the riders are on electric motorcycles which are illegal on the trail. But the patrol is a volunteer group, not an enforcement agency, so warnings and polite suggestions are often the only tools available along Sacramento\u2019s American River Parkway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lately, members say they\u2019ve been seeing more of these higher-powered devices, often referred to as \u201ce-motos.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey go so fast that we can\u2019t talk to them,\u201d said John Poimroo, director for the patrol. \u201cWe\u2019ll wave, \u2018Hey, slow down,\u2019 and they\u2019re just off.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
American River Bike Patrol members Vic Massenkoff (left) and Christopher Warren Tuesday, March 17, 2026, along the American River Parkway in Rancho Cordova.(Gerardo Zavala\/CapRadio) <\/p>\n
The speed limit on the trail is 15 mph, which even legal e-bikes can easily exceed. California allows<\/a> Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes to assist riders up to 20 mph, while Class 3 bikes can assist up to 28 mph.\u00a0<\/p>\n But electric motorcycles \u2014 often referred to as e-motos \u2014 can go much faster. Some exceed the state\u2019s limits as sold while others can be modified to do so.\u00a0<\/p>\n Many of them are referred to as e-bikes despite not meeting the state\u2019s definition. Marketing for these e-motos tends to focus on youth.\u00a0<\/p>\n That distinction is central to a growing debate at the California Capitol, where lawmakers are considering several bills to improve e-bike safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n What\u2019s really causing safety concerns?\u00a0<\/p>\n Marc Piazza is the commander for the Sacramento Regional Park Rangers. He said legal e-bikes haven\u2019t been much of an issue on the trail.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not the e-bikes, it\u2019s the e-motorcycles,\u201d he said. \u201cTotally different classification.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Piazza said rangers have seen riders \u2014 sometimes teenagers, sometimes adults \u2014 traveling at dangerous speeds.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re getting out of school and they\u2019re speeding on the bike trail doing 40 and we had one going 60 mph,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n But much of the available injury data relies on law enforcement and hospital reporting that does not clearly distinguish between legal e-bikes and more powerful devices.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s concerning for Asha Weinsteing Agrawal, education director for the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University. She recently led a state-commissioned study<\/a> on e-bike safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNone of these people are digging into whether this was a legal or illegal e-bike or what class of legal e-bike it might have been,\u201d she said. \u201cLike the general public, they hear the word e-bike and that\u2019s enough. They write it down and they go on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That means some injuries and crashes attributed to e-bikes may have involved devices that are not legal e-bikes at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe e-motos are absolutely a key safety concern, there is no doubt about that,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat unfortunately we don\u2019t have enough data to really know is, \u2018Are the legal e-bikes a safety concern?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Competing proposals at the Capitol\u00a0<\/p>\n One bill backed by many advocates, SB 1167<\/a>, would tighten definitions of what qualifies as an e-bike and make it harder for higher-powered devices to be marketed and sold as one. It currently has no formal opposition.<\/p>\n But other proposals are focused on creating restrictions on legal e-bikes or proposing changes that some advocates say would hurt small businesses and manufacturers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Assemblymember Rebeccca Bauer-Kahan\u2019s bill \u2014 AB 1943<\/a> \u2014 would require Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes to be registered with the DMV and display license plates. During a recent Assembly Transportation Committee hearing, she said her proposal is ultimately about accountability.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m here because our kids are hurting themselves, the safety issue is real and we really want to make sure people are following the rules of the road,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Supporters say the measure would help law enforcement identify reckless riders and respond to the rise in injuries. Critics argue it targets legal e-bike riders while doing little to stop illegal devices already operating outside the rules.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also during\u00a0 the recent hearing, Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins raised concerns the proposal could lead to over-policing of Black and Brown communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI strongly have a fear that this bill is going to open up the door for children to be stopped for not having a registered bike,\u201d she said. \u201cFurthermore, there is no way to demonstrate proof of the purchase for the e-bike, which places our children in a difficult situation if they\u2019re stopped by the police because now they cannot show proof that it belongs to them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Another measure<\/a> by Assemblymember Diane Papan would close a loophole that allows manufacturers to sell high-powered devices, but also reduce speed and power limits for some currently legal e-bikes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Opponents argue that would hurt commuters, families and small businesses by making a large number of currently legal e-bikes illegal.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real problem on our streets is illegal e-motos,\u201d Brett Thurber, co-owner of The New Wheel bike shop in San Francisco. \u201cThis bill does nothing about them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Are e-bikes dangerous, or are our streets?\u00a0<\/p>\n If passed, those proposals could affect riders like East Sacramento resident Thomas Vaclavek. He uses a cargo e-bike to drop off his kids, run errands and to get around town. He estimates it replaces more than 20 car trips a week.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI just dropped off the kids, ran over here, grabbed coffee and [there was] just so much less traffic,\u201d Vaclavek said while standing outside of Pachamama Coffee in East Sacramento. \u201cYou can be so much safer with pedestrians, especially around the school.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Vaclavek, a former transportation planner, argued that focusing on e-bikes misses the larger issue of an infrastructure that prioritizes vehicles over pedestrians and cyclists.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at places like the Netherlands where you have infrastructure everywhere,\u201d he said. \u201cBicycle ridership is up, driving is down, congestion is down.\u201d<\/p>\n Many transportation experts agree.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor the most part, we have not designed California\u2019s cities to provide a safe place for people to bicycle or use e-scooters or other small wheel devices,\u201d Agrawal with the Mineta Transportation Institute said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Agrawal said adding protected bike lanes can reduce crashes while discouraging sidewalk riding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Del](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/042726ebikes-4.jpg\")
Del Rio Bike Shop owner Damien Gonzalez (right) adjusts customer Gio Aponte\u2019s shoes and bike Monday, March 2, 2026, at Del Rio Bike Shop in East Sacramento.(Gerardo Zavala\/CapRadio)<\/p>\n![\"American](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/042726ebikes-5.jpg\")
American River Bike Patrol director John Poimroo (left) and Christopher Warren Tuesday, March 17, 2026, along the American River Parkway in Rancho Cordova.(Gerardo Zavala\/CapRadio)<\/p>\n