FEATURED BLOG: “Cracking Down E-bikes: Orange County’s Battle for Safer Roads” By Hugo Rios
SOURCE:
https://voiceofoc.org/2025/08/cracking-down-e-bikes-orange-countys-battle-for-safer-roads/
By Hugo Rios
Residents and local elected officials across Orange County have been calling for tighter restrictions on e-bikes – something that many say are a threat to public safety.
The issue is especially prevalent in coastal towns and South County – where many residents have long said teenagers and other young riders endanger themselves and others when they recklessly ride e-bikes.
While more than half of the county’s cities have adopted some type of e-bike ordinances, a host of new state bills regulating e-bikes were recently signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The bills, pushed by local Assemblywomen Laurie Davies (R-Laguna Niguel) and Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach), aim to prevent riders from buying products that modify the speed of e-bikes and require people to have a red reflector or light attached behind their vehicle.
Yorba Linda officials were the latest to crack down on unruly e-bike riders during, limiting e-bikes to 10 mph on equestrian trails and 25 mph on city streets.
Currently, many department stores and bike shops across the Golden State sell various models of e-bikes, ranging from different types that could reach different speeds depending on how the vehicle is modified.
The rise of personal motorized vehicles in the past few years – in this case, taking the form of a bicycle – has led leaders across Orange County to come up with various ways of managing what have come to be called e-bikes on county streets, boardwalks, and public trails.
This got the attention of OC Supervisors last year after a rise of complaints from residents about younger e-bike riders not obeying speed limits and increased accidents, leading to new county rules that codify speed limits and updated definitions for e-bikes in unincorporated areas around the county.
[Read: Orange County Supervisors Crack Down on E-Bikes]
Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a few bills related to e-bike safety that were brought forth by two State Assemblymembers from Orange County.
New e-bike bills in California
AB 965, which prohibits the sale of class 3 e-bikes to people under the age of 16, was one of the recently signed bills authored by Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach).
It was already illegal for people under 16 years old to ride a class 3 e-bike – a pedal-assisted bicycle that typically does not exceed 28 mph – under the California Vehicle Code.
“I’m not out to eliminate e-bikes, we just have to make them safe,” Dixon said in a phone interview, adding that her goal is not to punish e-bike riders for using city streets.
“We have to come at this in precise ways so we protect e-bikes while enhancing the safety of our roads,” Dixon said, noting that e-bikes are popular with both elderly and younger generations of riders.
Dixon also introduced AB 1744 last year, a bill geared toward prohibiting the sale of products or devices that modify the speed of e-bikes.
Last month, Gov. Newsom also signed two bills that were introduced by OC Assemblymember Davies (R-Laguna Niguel) to help address public safety concerns related to e-bikes.
One of the bills – AB 545 – prevents riders from increasing the speed of their e-bikes through smart phone apps.
“Unfortunately, this is something where we have great technology, but there’s no regulation on it,” Davies said in a phone interview, adding that modifications via smart devices are another way to potentially target younger individuals.
Davies introduced two separate bills: the other bill is to require e-bike riders to wear a red reflector or flashing red light to the back of their vehicle, referred to as AB 544.
The bill also requires minors who are cited for not wearing a helmet to attend a specialized e-bike safety course developed by California Highway Patrol.
She said that her main goal is to create “accountability” for e-bike riders and make riding e-bikes a safer experience for everyone on the road.
What are the rules for e-bikes in Orange County?
Under state law, no city is able to outright ban e-bikes or require a license to ride one.
For class 1 and class 2 e-bikes, it is already prohibited for people to exceed more than 20 mph while riding, while class 3 e-bikes are not to go more than 28 mph.
The California Vehicle Code also requires all bike riders under the age of 18 to wear a helmet.
Yet that hasn’t stopped more than half of OC cities from creating new definitions or local ordinances to establish new rules targeted toward e-bike riders.
Does your city have its own rules for e-bikes?
A Voice of OC analysis found that more than half of Orange County cities have created their own rules for e-bikes through local ordinances. These rules vary from implementing new speed limits, banning e-bikes at parks and boardwalks, or outright banning e-bikes in certain areas throughout the county.
Under state law, no city is able to outright ban e-bikes or require a license to ride one.
For class 1 and class 2 e-bikes, it is already prohibited for people to exceed more than 20 mph while riding, while class 3 e-bikes are not to go more than 28 mph.
The California Vehicle Code also requires all bike riders under the age of 18 to wear a helmet.
Yet that hasn’t stopped more than half of OC cities from creating new definitions or local ordinances to establish new rules targeted toward e-bike riders.
|
City Aliso Viejo |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks No* (near schools, churches, rec center) |
|
City Anaheim |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City Brea |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks No |
|
City Buena Park |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks No* (riders ages 18 and older) |
|
City Costa Mesa |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City Cypress |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City Garden Grove |
E-bike ordinance No |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City Huntington Beach |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City Irvine |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks |
|
City La Habra |
E-bike ordinance No |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City La Palma |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks No |
|
City Laguna Beach |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks |
|
City Laguna Hills |
E-bike ordinance No |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City Laguna Niguel |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City Laguna Woods |
E-bike ordinance No |
Permitted on sidewalks |
|
City Lake Forest |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City Los Alamitos |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks No* (only for Class 3 e-bikes) |
|
City Mission Viejo |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks |
|
City Newport Beach |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City Orange |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City Placentia |
E-bike ordinance No |
Permitted on sidewalks |
|
City Rancho Santa Margarita |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City San Clemente |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City San Juan Capistrano |
E-bike ordinance No |
Permitted on sidewalks |
|
City Santa Ana |
E-bike ordinance No |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City Seal Beach |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks No |
|
City Stanton |
E-bike ordinance No |
Permitted on sidewalks |
|
City Tustin |
E-bike ordinance No |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |
|
City Villa Park |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks No* (permitted on select streets) |
|
City Westminster |
E-bike ordinance No |
Permitted on sidewalks |
|
City Yorba Linda |
E-bike ordinance Yes |
Permitted on sidewalks Yes |