Carson may be the next California city to crack down on electric bikes within its jurisdiction.<\/p>\n
City staff \u2013 at the request of Councilmember Cedric Hicks \u2013 proposed an ordinance last week that\u2019s similar to those adopted by other South Bay cities, including Torrance, Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe growing use of electric bicycles, motorized scooters and other electric or motorized mobility devices has increased the need to address how these devices interact with pedestrians, vehicles and other users of public spaces,\u201d said the city staff report, written by Nora Garcia, director of Public Safety & Emergency Management. \u201cThe city has experienced issues involving individuals operating these devices, particularly electric bicycles, in an unsafe manner in city parks, and on city streets and sidewalks. Operation of these devices in pedestrian-oriented areas can create conflicts that may result in collisions, falls, bodily injury or property damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
While city codes have regulated the use of non-motorized mobility devices such as bicycles, skateboards or in-line skates, there has not been specific language for things like e-bikes and motorized scooters. And Hicks has said it is needed with the increase in popularity when it comes to e-bikes.<\/p>\n
E-bike use had a greater than tenfold increase from 2020 to 2024 (the most recent year with available data), according to a 2025 report from the Mineta Traffic Institute titled, \u201cExploring Electric Bicycle Safety Performance Data and Policy Options for California.\u201d<\/p>\n
And with the increased popularity, has come increased accidents, injuries and even deaths.<\/p>\n
The report found from a sample set of hospitals nationwide that e-bike injuries grew from 115 in 2020 to 1,290 in 2024. The actual number, researchers say, is much higher. In California alone, nearly 5,000 e-bike riders were treated at emergency rooms in 2023.<\/p>\n
Because e-bikes can travel up to 28 mph and have more severe outcomes, the staff report said, regulations are not comprehensively addressed in city codes. If the City Council approves the new ordinance and the subsequent amendments to the city code, that could change.<\/p>\n
The proposed changes would include a section defining \u201cregulated mobility device\u201d as an e-bike, electric personal assistive mobility device, electrically motorized board, low-speed vehicle, motorized scooter and a shared mobility device.<\/p>\n
The ordinance would ban the use of any regulated mobility device on any \u201cpedestrian facility,\u201d defined as any public sidewalk, crosswalk or space operated primarily for the use of pedestrians \u2013 including parks.<\/p>\n
The only exception is if it is necessary to enter or leave an adjacent property. If a regulated mobility device is used as transportation to a park or other public property, it must either be walked or carried once within the property. All devices must be properly parked in designated areas and not abandoned in parks or on sidewalks.<\/p>\n
These rules already apply to traditional bicycles, skateboards and in-line skates, except at the skate park in Veterans\u2019 Park. But e-bikes and motorized scooters are not permitted in the skate park.<\/p>\n
The ordinance also outlines safety violations for e-bikes specifically, prohibiting any tricks or stunts, racing, failure to yield to vehicles or pedestrians, and operating in groups of more than two bikes abreast.<\/p>\n
Additionally, all e-bike riders under 18 years old must wear a helmet. No one under the age of 16 would be allowed to operate a Class 3 e-bike, which reaches a maximum speed of 28 mph, and all Class 3 e-bike riders must wear a helmet. The ordinance would also require manufacturers and distributors of e-bikes to apply a permanent label containing the classification number, top assisted speed and motor wattage of the bike. It is prohibited for anyone to modify or tamper with an e-bike.<\/p>\n
Any violations would be punishable by fines. But if there is a public safety risk that involves a minor operating an e-bike, a peace officer can seize the bike and only return it after the minor has completed an approved e-bike safety and training program.<\/p>\n
\u201cCollectively, the proposed amendments are intended to provide clearer standards for the operation of electric bicycles and other mobility devices,\u201d the staff report said, \u201caddress unsafe riding practices, reduce conflicts with pedestrians and other users of public spaces, and provide appropriate enforcement and educational mechanisms to promote safer use throughout the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
A second reading of the ordinance will take place at a future City Council meeting, after which the council will vote on whether to approve the proposed amendments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Carson may be the next California city to crack down on electric bikes within its jurisdiction. City staff…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":495149,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,16844,1071,131,133,132,137,100,200,136],"class_list":["post-495148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-california","tag-carson","tag-local-government","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-news","tag-south-bay","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}