Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is pushing legislation to regulate electric bikes and, for the first time, rein in the more dangerous “e-motos” that go upward of 50 mph.
A new state initiative called “Ride Safe, Ride Smart, Ride Ready” seeks to increase the safety of e-bikes and other electric modes of personal transportation known as micromobility devices. The program aims to address Illinois’ archaic bike laws, which currently don’t address some of the fastest electric two-wheelers.
Giannoulias made the announcement Thursday during a downtown news conference. He was flanked by transit stakeholders and state Sen. Ram Villivalem and Rep. Barbara Hernandez, both area Democrats who filed a placeholder bill in Springfield, according to Giannoulias’s office.
“The bottom line is that riders, drivers and pedestrians are all trying to navigate the system that was designed for a different era,” Giannoulias said. “Without action, these tragic crashes, injuries and fatalities will continue to rise, like it or not.”
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias speaks in 2023.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times file
Several municipalities in Illinois have their own laws governing e-bikes, but bike advocates say the laws are inconsistent. With a new law, Illinois could become part of a growing number of states across the country to enact stricter e-bike laws.
In addition to the initiative’s legislation, an educational component will teach high schoolers across the state about e-bike safety.
Illinois currently classifies e-bikes into three classes: Class 1 e-bikes have pedal-assisted power with a top speed of 20 mph. Class 2 e-bikes can be propelled by their motor only but top out at 20mph. Class 3 e-bikes are pedal-assisted and top out at 28 mph.
The legislation maintains the three-class framework that currently regulates e-bikes and is shared by 46 other states, according to a news release from Giannoulias’ office. The new bill focuses instead on higher-powered vehicles — including electric bikes, e-motos, unicycles, scooters and skateboards — that fall outside of the current rules, his office said.
The initiative is also about safety, Giannoulias said.
He pointed to a national threefold increase in e-bike injuries between 2019 and 2022, and to the recent deaths of an Illinois State University administrator killed by an e-bike rider in 2022 and a teen killed while riding an e-bike in Arlington Heights last fall.
Kristine Cieslak, pediatric emergency medicine section chief of Lurie Children’s Hospital, told reporters she’s seeing more serious injuries among children riding e-bikes. “The problem is that the vehicles travel so much faster, that the impact is just going to be greater when you hit the ground,” Cieslak said.
Dave Simmons, executive director of Ride Illinois, said his advocacy group has been pushing for a year for state law to distinguish between e-bikes and e-motos. The issue has grown more pressing as more unregulated e-motos are driven in bike lanes and bike paths, where he said they don’t belong.
“Commonsense, balanced legislation at the state level that doesn’t add strain on law enforcement will be an effective and prudent path forward for Illinois,” Simmons said.
The e-bike bill is not as restrictive as the one passed this month in New Jersey, Giannoulias’ office said in a follow-up email after the news conference.
New Jersey’s law requires all e-bikes riders to be licensed. The law also requires all e-bike riders 17 and older to have registration, insurance and wear a state-approved motorcycle helmet. The New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition called it the “most restrictive law on e-bikes in the country.” More than 3,600 people signed a petition opposing the bill.
“Our approach is far more balanced and methodical,” Giannoulias’ office said. “We are preserving the existing three-class e-bike system that nearly all states already recognize and working closely with law enforcement and cycling advocates to ensure the legislation is fair and practical.”
