As e-bikes and minibikes grow in popularity, Corpus Christi police warn minibikes are illegal on public roads and could lead to fines or impoundment.<\/p>\n
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 As Corpus Christi looks to expand its network of trails and bike lanes, more residents are turning to alternative ways to get around \u2014 including electric bikes and scooters capable of speeds approaching 30 miles per hour.<\/p>\n
But while many of these devices are legal, others are not \u2014 and local law enforcement says confusion is growing.<\/p>\n
Electric bicycles, commonly known as e-bikes, are divided into three classes under Texas law and are generally allowed on bike lanes and neighborhood streets. Some models can reach speeds of up to 28 miles per hour without modification.<\/p>\n
Melanie Salinas, owner of Hype Byke, said her shop primarily sells traditional bicycles but has seen increasing interest in electric options.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur primary business is conventional, traditional \u2014 or what some people call \u2018acoustic\u2019 \u2014 bikes,\u201d Salinas said with a laugh. \u201cBut we do carry electric bikes as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said parents should be especially cautious, noting that some e-bikes can be modified to reach higher speeds and may be difficult for younger riders to control. In Texas, riders must be at least 15 years old to operate certain higher-speed models.<\/p>\n
National data shows children under 15 account for a disproportionate share of injuries involving e-bikes and e-scooters.<\/p>\n
However, Corpus Christi police say the bigger concern locally is the use of minibikes \u2014 small, gas-powered or electric bikes that are not street legal.<\/p>\n
Lt. Michael Pe\u00f1a said officers are increasingly seeing young riders operating minibikes on busy roadways such as Rodd Field Road and Ocean Drive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s when you get these mini bikes and you\u2019ve got a young kid traveling down a major roadway when they shouldn\u2019t be,\u201d Pe\u00f1a said. \u201cThe vehicle is small, often without proper lights, and it\u2019s illegal to operate on public roads.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pe\u00f1a compared minibikes to fireworks \u2014 legal to purchase, but not to use within city limits.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust because you can buy it doesn\u2019t mean you can operate it on the roadway, sidewalk or in a park,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Violations can come with consequences, including citations and impoundment of the vehicle \u2014 costs that often fall on parents.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that child gets stopped, the bike could be impounded,\u201d Pe\u00f1a said. \u201cParents could be out additional funds.\u201d<\/p>\n
As alternative transportation grows in popularity, officials say understanding the rules could help riders stay safe \u2014 and avoid costly penalties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As e-bikes and minibikes grow in popularity, Corpus Christi police warn minibikes are illegal on public roads and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":251703,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[155,157,156],"class_list":["post-251702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-corpus-christi","tag-corpus-christi","tag-corpus-christi-headlines","tag-corpus-christi-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}