Quick Take
City councilmembers say residents complain to them about speeding and reckless e-bike riders, and at their meeting this week said they want to explore pilot programs that preserve access to bikes for young people while keeping streets and sidewalks safe, and support a state bill that would set speed limits for bikes on sidewalks, multiuse paths and bike lanes.
E-bikes in the city of Santa Cruz go too fast, often with young riders at the handlebars, according to city councilmembers who want to impose age and speed restrictions so bikes are safer and a viable mode of transportation, as the city works toward its goal of getting 30% of people commuting by bicycle by 2035.
At its Tuesday meeting, the Santa Cruz City Council voted to ask staff to work with partners to include Santa Cruz in existing pilot programs or to pursue new state legislation to set a minimum rider age of at least 10 for Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes. Both classes can go up to 20 mph with pedal assist; Class 2 e-bikes have twist-grip throttles as well. Class 3 e-bikes reach up to 28 mph and already have a minimum age requirement of 16.
The council also requested staff to return with a letter of support for Assembly Bill 2346, which would allow local agencies to set speed limits for bikes on sidewalks, multiuse paths and separated bike lanes. If that bill doesn’t pass, the city will consider local bike speed limits. It will also consider increasing fines for bike riding on sidewalks, which is already prohibited.
“We’re very committed to making our community a place that’s friendly to walk and bike,” said city transportation planner Claire Gallogly in a presentation to the council. “E-bikes have merged very quickly as a mode [of transportation], and we haven’t caught all the way up.”
Gallogly said the city’s recent infrastructure updates, including Segment 7, Phase 2 of the Coastal Rail Trail opening last May and a new separated bike lane on Bay Street, have helped make bicycle and e-bike traffic more “predictable,” which she said is a chief concern among residents.
She added that the city is also running adult educational programs as well as youth programs in elementary, middle and high schools. The city will also partner with the Santa Cruz City Schools district, nonprofit Ecology Action and the Santa Cruz Police Department on a pilot program that includes e-bike parking permits for middle school students who take an in-person and on-bike safety class.
Gallogly said data from county emergency services show that e-bike riders under the age of 18 represent only 18% of e-bike-related injuries, and that older adults make up the most serious injuries and fatalities.
“As we’re looking at age restrictions, what we’re regulating is behavior and concerns about recklessness,” she said.
Gallogly pointed to Marin County and San Diego County, where officials set age limits for Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes. Marin set a minimum age of 16 for Class 1 e-bikes, and San Diego set a minimum age of 12 for both classes. Those are examples Santa Cruz can consider if and when it implements its own rules.
“This might be a Santa Cruz County carve-out, or it might be a whole state addition to the vehicle code,” she said.
Gallogly also said the county public health department has launched an e-bike safety committee, and California Walks is including e-bikes in its “Walk Bike Roll” program, a traffic safety curriculum for K-12 students.
Vice Mayor Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson said her constituents often reach out to her concerned about e-bike safety, and that her motion was designed to quell concerns and keep youth on their bikes.
“We want to see increased access for our young people, but that means we need to come up to speed with our municipal code adjustments,” she said. “I’m glad to see there’s stuff happening at the state level, and I want to be a little more proactive around age limits and speed.”
Councilmember Sonja Brunner, who is also the director of operations for the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz, said she’s eager to see age and speed concerns taken seriously at the local and state level, as she’s seen far too many collisions and close calls downtown.
“Yelling out, ‘Hey, follow the rules of the road!’ doesn’t mean anything to a 12-year-old who has never had a permit for driving class or lessons about the road,” she said.
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