JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — The Johns Creek City Council is looking at regulating electric bicycles with an eye toward safety.
Councilwoman Stacy Skinner, who raised the issue at a Nov. 17 work session, said more residents are raising concerns about their safety, legality and how they should share roadways and pathways.
Skinner, who has lived in Johns Creek since 2013, said e-bikes have become increasingly common in the community.
“They are everywhere,” she said. “They are outside coffee shops. They are outside Publix. They are in the parks and in the fields.”
Additionally, many are surprisingly fast, spurring fears for the safety of riders, many of whom are children. Some travel as fast as 45 mph or even 60 mph, city staff said.
State law defines e-bikes in three classes. Class I includes devices with motor assist only when pedaling and top speeds of up to 20 mph. Class II also tops out at 20 mph with motors that propel them without pedaling. Class III can reach 28 mph with motor assistance while pedaling.
Devices known as e-motos are often confused with e-bikes but can be differentiated by more powerful motors and top speeds that can reach faster than 20 mph.
The prevalence and speed of these machines poses a considerable safety risk and could result in “something awful,” Skinner said.
In early November, a 16-year-old was killed when a pickup struck him while he was riding an e-bike near Tucker Middle School, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. In the wake of his death, the teen’s family has pushed for increased safety measures.
In 2023, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said e-bike injuries soared that year, increasing 21 percent compared to 2022. Nearly half of all estimated e-bike injuries from 2017 to 2022 occurred in 2022.
Between 2018 and 2022, sales of e-bikes rose from around 250,000 per year to more than a million, a Harvard Health Publishing article said.
Council members said they are looking to a multipronged approach to improve safety.
The City Council asked staff to collaborate with the Police Department in developing a local ordinance. They also are looking at rules and signage dictating rules in parks, sidewalks and trails.
Skinner said she thinks enforcement will likely play an important role in promoting safety. Police officers may expand warning riders who violate laws or ticket them or their parents for repeated violations, she said.
Councilman Larry DiBiase said the city may explore requiring registration for some e-bikes.
As sidewalk and connectivity has improved in the city, the instances of potential safety risks among e-bike riders also has increased, city staff said.
“There has been an increase in e-bikes on our 5-foot-wide sidewalks, pedestrian paths and on the roadways along Old Alabama, Barnwell Road, Nesbit Ferry and Jones Bridge by our youth, potentially endangering both themselves and the pedestrians,” staff said.
Mayor John Bradberry said tightening the city’s ordinance could allow for better enforcement, potentially preventing injuries in the future.
“The police are seeing this and are frustrated,” he said. “They want to intercede, but frankly right now they don’t have the tools they need.”
The mayor also said he thinks education will supplement any enforcement efforts with social media potentially playing an important role. Local schools already have made efforts to educate youths and parents.
An e-bike and e-scooter safety and awareness night is scheduled for Dec. 2 at the Taylor Road Middle School cafeteria, 5150 Taylor Road. The session is to teach practical strategies for safe e-bike and e-scooter use. Local experts will provide insights on safety, laws, and injury prevention. A question-and-answer session and helmet giveaway also are planned.
Appreciate the work?
Help us keep this reporting available to all by giving to our 2025 Fall Fundraiser campaign. Your support makes all the difference.
