Amid a recent rise in the use of e-bikes around the city of La Cañada Flintridge, especially among youth riding around the community and on main thruways like Foothill Boulevard, city officials are raising safety concerns over the mode of transportation.
Arabo Parseghian, director of administrative services for the city, said that surrounding cities are experiencing the same issue and that the bikes are becoming a new hobby among younger generations, who have been seen going up to “30 miles per hour” in LCF.
According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, “an electric bicycle is a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts.”
The Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station recorded 14 calls for service from May 1 to June 30 related to juveniles riding e-bikes. Although no citations were issued on the calls, young riders are seen in the community cruising on e-bikes without a helmet, riding on the sidewalk, and weaving in and out of traffic.
There are three classes of electric bicycles, according to the DMV. Class 1 is a low-speed pedal-assisted electric bicycle equipped with a motor that assists the rider only when a speed of 20 mph is reached.
Class 2 is a low-speed throttle-assisted electric bicycle equipped with a motor used exclusively to propel the bicycle that doesn’t provide assistance when a speed of 20 mph is reached.
Meanwhile, a class 3 e-bike is equipped with a speedometer and a motor, which provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and reaches a speed of 28 mph. Riders of a class 3 e-bike must be 16 years old or older, wear a safety helmet, not transport passengers, and may ride an e-bike in a bicycle lane, if authorized by local authority or ordinance.
Parseghian said that the city first became aware of children not wearing helmets while riding e-bikes about three months ago.
“The law on the roadway is a little bit behind time when it comes to these type of vehicles, because you technically don’t need a license to ride a bicycle, but technically, these are motorized, so a lot of cities are trying to find other ways to sort of regulate,” he said. “Right now [the city is] looking into that ourselves through the municipal code, and through our City Council process.”
In trying to combat the problem and educate the community, the city is partnering with the La Cañada Unified School District and PTAs in the area to help educate parents, as well as the sheriff’s station and California Highway Patrol.
The current concern for the city is kids not obeying laws and being “reckless on the road,” Parseghian said.
In working with the sheriff’s station, the city is able to bring in extra patrols, “not only for burglary suppression, but also for e-bike purposes.”
The sheriff’s station is also being directed to be on the lookout for kids riding e-bikes and enforce the law appropriately.
“If we observe someone on an e-bike that is riding in some violation of vehicle code, we’re going to likely do a traffic stop and discuss it with that rider and try to see if there’s any way we can, warn and advise, and hopefully get the correct behavior needed,” Sgt. John Gilbert said. “Or if the situation dictates it requires a citation, we may issue a citation.”
The city is also looking into getting more motorcycle deputies patrolling, which can be helpful when stopping someone on an e-bike.
“By us enforcing these rules, we are hoping that it’s going to help curtail some of these risky activities,” Parseghian said.
The school district has specifically reported issues of e-bike usage on the fields, which they are not allowed on.
Although LCHS has a wheeled device policy, it does not apply to pedal-less e-bikes yet, “as we had not seen them at our school like we did across the span of this academic year,” said outgoing LCHS Principal James Cartnal.
“Student bicycle ridership remains strong at LCHS and students commute to school in bicycles that have a battery-powered pedal assistance,” Cartnal said. “… These pedal-less e-bikes vary in speed and power and in some cases are able to maintain speeds equal to auto traffic on La Cañada roads. Since these pedal-less e-bikes are fast, LCHS has communicated concerns related to rider safety and communicated the necessity of riding these vehicles with helmets.”
Cartnal said that school officials have had conversations with e-bike riders, since they have been seen carrying passengers without helmets, “creating a safety risk.”
Melissa Greenwood, assistant superintendent of business and operations for the district, said that LCHS 7/8 Principal Jarrett Gold is working to create more communication and awareness about e-bike safety and rules on campus.
“LCHS has also partnered with our school resource officer in efforts to put a safety course in place which would then qualify an e-bike rider for a parking permit,” said LCUSD Superintendent Wendy Sinnette.
Parseghian said the city is considering its options when it comes to educating the community on e-bike safety, but that a town hall is not yet planned.
“We’ve done some outreach and talked to some parents, and the town hall at this point in time is not something that a lot of the parents think will be valuable,” he said. “But again, with summer, and people have little bit more time potentially, we may reconsider those other options, if these enforcements and activities don’t work.”
The station asks that residents use “good judgment [when reporting an e-bike incident and taking into consideration] the immediacy of the response and the risk for everyone involved, as opposed to if the risks are not there.”
If an e-bike rider is jumping in and out of traffic, actively causing a traffic hazard, that is an immediate safety hazard and merits a call to the station, Gilbert said, at (818) 248-3464.
To view the e-bike safety and training course provided by CHP, visit bit.ly/3TVpFL4.
