Why this matters
E-bikes have been on the rise in recent years, as have the accidents caused by them. The city voted to set a 12-year-old age requirement and look into raising it to 16.
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Following its history of paving the way in e-bike regulations, Carlsbad passed several measures Tuesday aimed at reducing the number of crashes and injuries on e-bikes.
Like several other cities in San Diego County, Carlsbad City Council voted to ban e-bikes for users under 12 years old. The move comes from a Carlsbad-sponsored state law that created a pilot program for cities in San Diego.
Types of e-bikes
Class 1 bikes provides pedal-assistance only and the motor stops assisting when the bike reaches 20 mph.
Class 2 bikes can operate via throttle or pedal-assist, but the motor also stops assisting at 20 mph.
Class 3 bikes provide pedal-assist up to 28 mph. Existing laws prohibit people under 16 from operating Class 3 e-bikes.
But both city leaders and the public agreed that teenagers, not riders under 12, create the largest safety problems. That is why councilmembers also voted to look into state legislation that would allow them to raise the age requirement to 16, like the pilot program in Marin County, which sits north of San Francisco.
There were nearly 220 crashes between 2022 and 2025, 63% of which were the fault of the e-bike rider, according to the city’s data. Of those 136 “at-fault e-bike collisions,” the largest group was riders aged 12 to 17. There were nine crashes for riders under 12, three of which had a transport to the hospital.
Carlsbad Mayor Pro Tempore Priya Bhat-Patel commended the city’s “proactive” approach to e-bike regulations during Tuesday’s session.
“E-bikes have so much value in the sense that obviously it provides sustainable mobility options, independence, and then, of course, reduces car trips. But we can’t ignore the mismatch between the capabilities of these machines, which is, really, honestly, can be scary,” she said.
In addition to the age requirements, the City Council also voted to look into state legislation to allow it to prohibit e-bike riders under 16 from carrying passengers.
It also added several examples of unsafe behavior to its existing municipal code. That includes racing as well as “performing acrobatics, tricks or stunts such as wheelies when pedestrians or moving vehicles are present.”
The City Council also moved to ban e-bikes at Poinsettia Community Park and Pine Avenue Community Park, where there were close to 70 calls for service between January and October 2025. It further directed the city manager to look into potential restrictions at other parks.
Councilmembers also voted to create a rule that allows it to take away e-bikes in violation of certain policies.
How the city got here
The rise of e-bikes have been a concern in recent years, and Carlsbad has been at the forefront of the issue. After a 233% increase in bike and e-bike crashes between 2019 and 2022, Carlsbad declared a state of emergency in August 2022. It then became the first city in the region to adopt an e-bike safety ordinance with its Safer Streets Together Plan a month later. That restricted people from riding on sidewalks, and required helmets for anyone under 18 and riding a Class 3 e-bikes – the fastest among the legal e-bikes in California.
As e-bike crashes continued,the city looked to other solutions. Carlsbad worked with the state Legislature to sponsor a bill to start a pilot program in which cities in San Diego County have the option to ban children under 12 years old from riding class 2 e-bikes. That law went into effect at the start of this year; thus far, Chula Vista, Coronado, Poway and San Marcos have adopted the age requirement, with Santee expected to take up a final vote this month.
Carlsbad’s Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission met in September to discuss the program and received over 550 emails, 85% of which were in favor of the age restriction. Both the public and several commissioners also said that although they were in favor of the move, it would not solve the largest issues involving e-bikes.
They discussed older teenagers riding the bikes – some racing, doing tricks and putting multiple people on an e-bike at once. The commission then voted to recommend that the council adopt the pilot program and look into what other measures they could take.
The City Council also entertained restricting e-bikes after dark for people under 16 years old, but decided against it due to kids’ needing transportation options in the evening and insufficient data supporting the change. The City Council directed staff to collect more data and return to the issue.
City leaders also acknowledged that Tuesday’s efforts were a start, and would not fix all of the e-bike safety issues.
“Every option presented tonight has limitations within it,” Carlsbad Police Lt. Jason Arnotti said after presenting to the City Council. “There’s no single ordinance that will resolve the issue on its own, but each measure helps close specific gaps that contribute to unsafe or disruptive behavior, and some will rely more on education and voluntary compliance than strict enforcement.”
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
