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A man rides an e-scooter Aug. 27 on Franklin Boulevard. Sacramento City Council member Karina Talamantes submitted a proposal asking city staff to consider how to increase enforcement for e-scooters, e-bikes, e-motos and other two-wheeled chargeable vehicles.<\/p>\n
JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS<\/p>\n
jvillegas@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
Sacramento could pursue stricter enforcement of illegal e-bike, e-moto and e-scooter use under a proposal prompted by dangerous riding and a sharp increase in injuries tied to the vehicles.<\/p>\n
Councilmember Karina Talamantes submitted a policy proposal Sept. 22 asking city staff to consider increased enforcement and penalties for illegal use of electric bikes, scooters and other two-wheeled vehicles.<\/p>\n
UC Davis Medical Center in Oak Park recorded nearly a fivefold increase in cases related to e-bikes and e-scooters, to 340 in 2025 from 70 in 2021, though hospitals do not always accurately record the exact type of vehicle involved in a crash. Medical professionals across California recognize that more people are injured on e-bikes and related devices than before.<\/p>\n
Talamantes said she is pushing the proposal because of dangerous riding she had witnessed and constituents had described in emails, as well as the increase in hospital visits tied to the devices.<\/p>\n
\u201cI introduced common sense legislation to make our shared spaces in the city of Sacramento safer,\u201d said Talamantes, whose district includes South Natomas, Northgate and Gardenland. \u201cIt\u2019s a hot topic in the community, so we need to make sure that we have conversations about it publicly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Education \u2018is not enough\u2019<\/p>\n
The city pursued stricter enforcement of these types of devices in 2019, but the rules largely applied to shared-riding vehicles<\/a>, such as Lime e-scooters and Jump e-bikes. Under Talamantes\u2019 proposal, city departments would study ways to increase enforcement and improve safety involving electric two-wheeled vehicles.<\/p>\n \u201cCurrently, the city does not have sufficient staffing or deputized staff to cite people,\u201d a portion of the proposal summary reads.<\/p>\n Staff from the Sacramento Police Department, Public Works and Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment had previously collaborated on e-bike, e-scooter and e-moto education initiatives. The city had not formed a formal interdepartmental group because doing so would require City Council direction, according to a city spokesperson.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2018ve done a lot of media and outreach on education,\u201d Talamantes said, \u201cbut education at this point is not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Talamantes said she wants the city to look into ways existing staff and resources could be used to address e-vehicle-related issues and increase enforcement.<\/p>\n \u201cMy number one priority is figuring out enforcement and who has capacity to be able to help us with that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The policy proposal will next appear before the Law and Legislation Committee, where public comments will be accepted and the committee will provide input. It\u2019s unclear which meeting will have the proposal on the agenda. The committee\u2019s next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 20.<\/p>\n After committee review, city staff would research options and prepare a report for the City Council.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m open to what the policy will ultimately look like,\u201d Talamantes said, \u201cbut I want to hear from other council members that sit on the committee and the public and the city staff about what they see as the best solution to this problem that we\u2019re having.\u201d<\/p>\n E-vehicles in Sacramento<\/p>\n Electric bicycle use has surged in the capital region and across the country over the past few years.<\/p>\n Between 2019 and 2022, U.S. sales of electric bicycles nearly quadrupled to 1.1 million from just under 290,000, according to the Light Electric Vehicle Association<\/a>. At Sacramento\u2019s ATV Wholesale Outlet, electric vehicles made up about 80% of sales<\/a> as of earlier this year. The business did not sell electric bicycles until 2021.<\/p>\n In addition to legal e-bikes and e-scooters, residents and officials have also noted an increase in faster, more powerful vehicles often used illegally, commonly called e-motos.<\/p>\n Advocates and local officials have argued some of the increase stems from marketing of devices that led consumers to believe they were purchasing an e-bike when they were instead buying a vehicle that is illegal to ride on city streets. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1167, which further defines e-motos and the standards a device must meet to be advertised as an e-bike in California and will go into effect Jan. 1.<\/p>\n The influx of devices has also led to an increase in injuries for both children and adults, according to UC Davis Medical Center. Among children younger than 15, the share of trauma cases tied to e-bikes and scooters rose to 8.5% in 2025 from less than 0.6% in 2021, according to hospital data. Adult cases \u2014 those involving people 16 and older \u2014 also increased, though less sharply, from 1% to 3.25%.<\/p>\n Hospitals and law enforcement agencies do not consistently distinguish between e-bikes, scooters and e-motos, complicating efforts to understand the trend. However, SB 1167 also seeks to solve this issue by creating new requirements<\/a> for labeling and obligations for law enforcement that will improve the accuracy of crash reporting.<\/p>\n The medical cases are part of why Talamantes submitted the proposal, she said. She also said she has seen riders speeding on e-bikes, blowing through red lights and ignoring posted signs and rules in parks. She described a recent incident in which she saw a boy riding a scooter without a helmet and speeding around her car.<\/p>\n E-bike rules now<\/p>\n Sacramento had relied largely on education to address unsafe e-bike, e-moto and e-scooter use.<\/p>\n The Sacramento Police Department and surrounding law enforcement agencies created a video<\/a> in July explaining e-bikes, including the three legal classes and how to safely ride in the street. The video is posted on a city webpage<\/a> with information about e-vehicles, helmet requirements, e-scooter laws and city bikeways. The city also offered a free monthly \u201curban bicycling and scooting\u201d class.<\/p>\n State law still requires motorized scooter riders to stay off sidewalks \u2014 an offense that could draw a citation of up to $207 in Sacramento \u2014 and the city code prohibits people from parking shared scooters or bikes in ways that blocked sidewalks or curb ramps.<\/p>\n Other cities in the capital region and elsewhere in California had taken different approaches to illegal and unsafe e-vehicle use.<\/p>\n Newsom last week signed Assembly Bill 2595, which allows San Mateo County to adopt a temporary ordinance prohibiting children younger than 12 from riding Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes.<\/p>\n In Galt, the city adopted an urgency ordinance late last year setting speed limits and equipment requirements for electric devices and giving police authority to tow them.<\/p>\n Elk Grove leaders in August passed new rules for e-bikes, e-scooters<\/a> and other personal transportation devices in the city, including barring them on sidewalks unless signs specifically allow it. Folsom is considering similar regulations<\/a>.<\/p>\n After the proposal is reviewed by the Law and Legislation Committee, Sacramento staff will look into what is feasible for the city to pursue. Talamantes said she wants to give \u201cplenty of room for the city manager to get creative on what can be the best fit for this policy issue.\u201d<\/p>\n The goal of increased enforcement, Talamantes said, is to curb illegal and dangerous activity without discouraging Sacramentans from using electric modes of transportation.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a way for students and parents and people to be able to get around. I just want to make sure that everyone, riders and non riders, can be safe in these shared spaces,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
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