Cruising home on their e-bikes after basketball practice, Chinecherem Nwanevu, 22, and his best friend Danny Anene, 22, zipped by Eastvale’s Harada Elementary School, jumping over speed bumps.
They’re among many across the Inland Empire choosing electric bicycles as a preferred mode of transportation.
Powered by rechargeable batteries and capable of speeds up to 28 mph, e-bikes are a fuel-efficient choice and fun to ride — especially in summer.
But while e-bikes can make commuting simpler, some Inland officials are concerned about the dangers they pose. So they’re creating safety rules for riders.
“Of particular concern are young riders who lack experience navigating through traffic and are more inclined to engage in reckless biking behaviors,” said Temecula Mayor James “Stew” Stewart, whose city is among those taking action.
Cities such as Temecula, Murrieta and Rancho Cucamonga have experienced a spike in complaints about those riding on public walkways, bike pathways and horse trails. The reports are leading to stricter traffic enforcement on public roads in these cities.
In Temecula, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and Temecula Valley Unified School District are collaborating to educate youths about e-bikes and providing mandatory free instructional classes. The plan aims to educate students about road rules, e-bike laws, helmet safety and pedestrian interaction.
In addition, Temecula officials are spreading the word through the city’s Caught with your Helmet On campaign that promotes helmet safety by handing out gift cards to students wearing helmets.
Murrieta is working on new guidelines to keep riders and pedestrians safe.
And, in Rancho Cucamonga, officials will do enforcement stops and educate the public about the use and legality of driving such bikes on the roads, a news release states. The Rancho Cucamonga Police Department is using social media to educate youths about the importance of learning to ride e-bikes and following traffic laws.
The concern has touched some parks, such as Chino Hills State Park and Mount San Jacinto State Park in Riverside County, which have banned use of e-bikes on park trails.
But not all Inland cities are seeing major problems.
For example, Redlands, Upland and Eastvale have no rules on e-bikes because they haven’t been a major issue or caused problems, spokespersons from those cities said.
Still, the bikes raise etiquette and other questions.
Though Redlands hasn’t acted on e-bikes, numerous members of a Redlands’ neighborhood Facebook page, Redlands Conservancy, have expressed concerns about inconsiderate riders using them on pedestrian walking trails.
There also are questions about young riders’ skills in using the bikes.
“The problem is that people don’t actually know how to use them correctly,” said Jerry Fraize, co-owner of Pedego Electric Bikes in Upland.
A rider who doesn’t understand how to stop and gear up to a safe speed risks falling off the bike or getting injured.
“It comes down to the basics like learning how to start and stop these electronic bikes properly,” he said.
Another problem is that an e-bike might not always be an e-bike.
Instead, it might be an electric motorcycle, which is supposed to be used only in off-road locations and not on public roads. Some people ride electric motorbikes in public places, assuming they are e-bikes when they are not.
Rancho Cucamonga police have noticed this problem, pointing out that electric motorcycles can reach much higher speeds. This makes riding them on pathways, horse trails and public spaces illegal, the release states.
E-bikes can reach speeds of 20 mph to 28 mph, if one is pedaling while using the motor. An increasing number of bikers are choosing a speedier two-wheeler, such as the Surron, which can go as fast as 50 mph to 70 mph. But the Surron is classified as an off-road bike, though it appears to be similar to an e-bike.
Nwanevu, the Eastvale rider, has seen this.
“My classmate has a Surron,” he said. “He thought it was just a regular e-bike that went way faster.”
While a license is not needed to ride an e-bike, the DMV states that a person under 16 years old is prohibited from operating a Class 3 e-bike.
The California Vehicle Code defines an e-bike as a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts.
There are three classes of electric bicycles:
Class 1: A low-speed, pedal-assisted electric bicycle with a motor that provides assistance when the rider is pedaling and stops assisting when the bike reaches 20 mph.
Class 2: A low-speed, throttle-assisted electric bicycle with a motor used only to propel the bicycle and cannot assist when 20 mph is reached.
Class 3: A low-speed, pedal-assisted electric bicycle with a speedometer and a motor that assists only when the rider is pedaling. It stops assisting when 28 mph is reached.
Murrieta’s rules would be among the most specific in the region.
On Tuesday, June 4, the Murrieta City Council discussed new regulations for electric bikes, scooters and skateboards because its current ordinance has little information on the vehicles.
The new ordinance, which is expected to be passed in July, will introduce new rules for riders.
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For example, the regulations would prevent e-bikers from:
Wearing earbuds while riding
Letting an additional person hop on the back of a one-person bike
Tampering with vehicles to make them faster
Meanwhile, Murrieta police Sgt. Steve Whiddon has created a Parking Permit program, that offers youths safety classes to learn road rules. After completing the course, students can receive a permit sticker indicating to their school that their bike is safe for public use — and that the biker has been trained.
For information about the Murrieta Police Department’s safety program, click here.
