San Diego considers new e-bike rules, yet advocates remain skeptical

S1: Welcome in San Diego. It's Jade Hindman on today's show , as gas prices spike , you may be looking for ways to get around without the fuel. While e-bikes are one option , we'll break down the possible new rules for them in San Diego. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. Electric bikes are common to see on San Diego streets and along our beach fronts , and they are a sustainable means of transportation. Also a cheaper means these days. But the rise of e-bike riding has also led to a rise in injuries. The San Diego City Council is looking at adopting stricter rules for e-bikes , including banning the use of certain types by children under the age of 12. But many bike advocates are pushing back , saying more education and info are needed first and foremost. Ariana Aria Grossman is the policy manager for Circulate Planning and Policy , formerly known as Circulate San Diego. Aria. Welcome back to Midday Edition.

S2: Thanks for having me.

S1: Glad to have you here. So the City Council is considering new rules for e-bikes. The Public Safety Committee approved going forward with this process of just taking part in a state pilot program. So tell us about what the city is considering here. Yeah.

S2: Yeah. That's right. So last week , the Public Safety Committee moved forward with working to develop regulations to ban class one and class two e-bikes for children under 12 years old. This was authority given to cities in the county of San Diego a couple of years ago by state legislation AB 2234 , which allowed cities to enact this specific ban um , up until 2029.

S1: And I want to break down those class types in a bit. But first , you know , we don't know all the details that would end up in this ordinance , but similar efforts have implemented in several cities in in the county. Right. I mean , can you remind us about some of those efforts ? Yeah.

S2: That's correct. So Coronado , Chula Vista , Poway , San Marcos , Carlsbad , maybe a couple others have already enacted this ordinance. Um , and they all look pretty similar to what , uh , Councilmember Campo put forward , because , you know , it's enabled by state legislation. So it kind of has to follow the same mold. So they are all class one , class two e-bikes for under 12 years old and have similar fine and public education regimes.

S1:

S2: We're seeing a lot of data and information being thrown out there , but we're not really able to disaggregate that in a way. Um , so , for instance , The statistic we're seeing it was in Councilmember Campos draft proposal. Right. It's that in the past few years , there's been a 20% increase in incidence , um , in children for on e-bikes and e motos. But we can't disaggregate between the class one , two and three e-bikes between e motos. How old are these children ? Right. Are just more children or more people riding e-bikes ? There's just so many unknowns. In large part due to the lack of understanding on different classes of e-bikes and the distinction between e-bikes and e motos. Um , and as well on , um , you know , the ages of kids riding these bikes and all of these types , these types of things.

S1: All right. I hear you talking about e motos and , um , class one and class two e-bikes. Um , tell me about that. What are first , what are e motos ? Sure.

S2: So e motos is kind of a general umbrella term for different vehicles that fall outside of , um , class one , 2 or 3 e-bikes , which are defined under California state law. So these can be things like , um , those kind of like seated , almost scooter type things that don't have pedals. Those would be e motos , electric dirt bikes that , you know , sometimes you see on streets which you're not allowed to ride. Um , those would be e motos , um , and any type of regular e-bike looking device. But , you know , enables the rider to go above the speeds that are like , legally defined for these different classes of e-bikes would all be considered e motos.

S1:

S2: So class one e-bikes can get you up to 20mph with a pedal assist. Um , so there's a little electric motor in there that can help you get up to 20mph. Um , and then we'll function like a regular bike. Class two will also get you up to 20mph , but they can also have a throttle on the handlebar that'll help you get there. Um , and then class three are generally pedal assist. Sometimes they have a throttle but can get you up to 28mph. Um , and you already need to be 16 years or older to ride any of those. The class three e-bikes. Um , but for all three types , they all must have petals. I think that's kind of an easy way to distinguish between e-bikes and these motos , because e-bikes must have functional pedals and must have a motors under a certain wattage.

S1:

S2: Okay.

S1: Okay.

S2: Usually people just you can detach the , um , the battery from the bike itself and bring it into your house. Okay.

S1: Okay. And take it into work or wherever you're at. Yeah.

S2: Yeah. That's right. Some cities with , like , the , um , docked bike share programs , those , like bikes will have chargers in them , but generally just take them out of the bike. Interesting.

S1: Interesting. Okay. So really , they look and operate like a normal bike. Um , there's no throttle or extra buttons or anything actually , on , on , uh , the two and the threes there are.

S2: That's correct. Yes.

S1: Yes. Okay. And what is the maximum speed ? Class one e-bikes can go. It's all 28 20mph.

S2: Class one and 2 or 20mph. And class three is 28. So the the class of bikes that could be potentially banned under this proposed ordinance would cap out at 20mph , which , you know , is a speed that you can get to on a regular bike. Like kids can bomb down a hill at 20mph or higher already.

S1:

S2: Circulate the San Diego County Bike Coalition , a lot of these other bike safety organizations do a lot of education on just bike riding in general , because at the end of the day , these right , these are bikes at different schools across the city and the county. Um , because , yeah , I mean , education on the different classes of bikes , um , are really important for just safety. But also , you know , from the consumer side of things , like parents need to know about the kind of bikes they're buying for their kids. Um , and yeah , education is just going to be a really important component. As you know , if we see a a ban or not for kids under 12 years old , e-bikes in general are here to stay and is just going to be a really important part of this new popular vehicle technology that we're seeing.

S1:

S2: Um , but , you know , other states and city cities across the country have moved forward with such a thing which , you know , could possibly come with its own concerns , like putting barriers to riding bicycles is , you know , yeah , is an issue in itself. But , you know , for kids , provided they can complete some sort of safety education , might be might be a solution.

S1: Well , in addition to to this effort by San Diego's city council , there's also like a state bill from state Senator Catherine Blakeslee , who represents parts of San Diego's North County that is looking to really take action on e-bikes. Tell us more about that effort.

S2: Yeah that's right. The bill is SB 167 , as you said , by State Senator Catherine Blake Spear. And it really takes the more consumer approach to this. Like I mentioned , the education is really important. So tightening definitions of what are considered not just e-bikes , but e motos are not really well defined in California state law. So making sure that we have tight definitions of that , which is helpful for education and enforcement type things. Um , and it also really directly goes after deceptive marketing and disclosures at the point of sale. Because another issue that we're seeing with a lot of these bikes is that the people selling them are marketing them deceptively to make them seem like they are legal class one , 2 or 3 e-bikes. But that's not necessarily the case. And this can just be a huge problem for , again , parents who are looking to buy a safe bike for their kids , like they need to have the correct information at point of sale. So it would standardize disclosures and , you know , make those kinds of advertising practices , um , More standard and banned types of deceptive marketing.

S1:

S2: Like , you know , because we're seeing this sort of deceptive marketing as well , like making sure that you yourself can walk into the store with the information you need to buy a safe bike for your kid is really important. Um , circulate has a great e-bike toolkit out. It's on our website that really just , like , cleanly and simply , you know , says what's in each class and you know what ? Um , helmets and that sort of thing that kids need to ride when using these bikes. Yeah.

S1: Yeah. And we'll include that link to that toolkit on our website too , that you just mentioned. Um , before we go , you know , earlier I was mentioning how it's , it's a it's a way to get around that it's sustainable for the environment , but also could be easier on your wallet considering gas prices are so high.

S2: They're in the in the thousands , but , you know , cheaper than a vehicle. Um , better for you than riding a vehicle. Better for the climate. Um , and , you know , more fun.

S1: All right. I've been speaking with Aria Grossman , policy manager with Circulate Planning and Policy , formerly formerly known as Circulate San Diego. Aria , thank you so much.

S2: Thank you.

S3: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.