When Safety Debates Stall: San Mateo County’s E-Bike Ordinance and the Need for Clear Rules
Electric bikes have become an important part of how many young people move through their communities. They help students get to school, jobs, and activities without relying on parents for rides. But alongside the benefits of e-mobility, a serious safety challenge has emerged. Increasingly powerful electric devices, which are often modified or sold in ways that blur the line between bicycles and motorbikes, are being ridden by teenagers with little training and little clarity regarding what’s legal.
Recently, San Mateo County has been debating how to regulate electric conveyance vehicles. As reported by the San Mateo Daily Journal, the ordinance proposed by Supervisors Jackie Speier and Ray Mueller aimed to clarify how existing California law would be enforced locally and address the growing problem of illegal high-powered electric devices on public roads.
The proposal grouped electric bicycles, motorized scooters, electric skateboards, and similar devices under the category of “E-Conveyances,” prohibited unsafe riding and sidewalk use, and established enforcement tools, including fines and youth diversion programs for minors. In essence, the ordinance sought to clarify the difference between legal e-bikes and higher-powered devices that already fall outside California law.
The ordinance was not a perfect solution, but it was at least an attempt to confront a growing safety issue. Instead, the proposal stalled after a debate dominated by objections that ultimately missed the central problem: teenagers are already being injured riding vehicles that are not legal for public roads.
Some opponents argued that the ordinance “villainizes” e-bikes. The proposal targeted modified devices capable of speeds far beyond what California law allows for bicycles, rather than restricting legal e-bikes. Treating these high-powered vehicles as ordinary e-bikes puts cyclists at risk by muddying the rules and undermining confidence in the safe, legal use of e-bikes.
Others argued that the ordinance fails to address broader problems, such as inadequate bike infrastructure or dangerous drivers. Those concerns are real. However, communities can improve infrastructure while also addressing unsafe vehicles.
Another criticism focused on definitions, with critics saying the language used to distinguish e-bikes from “e-motos” is confusing, which is precisely why clearer rules are needed. If policymakers struggle to explain the difference, parents and teenagers cannot reasonably be expected to understand it either.
Supervisor David Canepa, one of our California Association of Youth Commissions (CAYC) advisors, also suggested the ordinance was premature and that more consultation was needed. Consultation is invaluable, but the problem is already here. Teenagers are riding vehicles capable of motorcycle speeds without licenses, registration, or training. Injuries and fatalities have already occurred in San Mateo County, including Burlingame and Half Moon Bay.
Youth across California have already begun raising these concerns. Through the CAYC and youth-led research efforts, including our CAYC Teen E-bike Safety and Behavior Survey, and speaking at Assemblymember Diane Papan’s Community E-bike Forum, we advocated for youth voices to preserve independence and for clearer rules and better safety education to keep riders safe. We also emphasized that legislators need to act more like creators and meet kids where they are (on social media) to curb illegal bike modifications, promote helmet use, and address dangerous stunts such as tandem riding and wheelies. We will be discussing these topics at our upcoming CAYC Spring Conference next weekend, where Assemblymember Papan and Supervisor Speier, along with Dr. Maa, will be speaking with education, law enforcement, and advocacy groups. We will also be presenting our CAYC safety survey data.
When used properly, e-bikes can reduce traffic, expand independence for young people, and provide a cleaner transportation option. However, those benefits will disappear if the line between bicycles and high-powered motorized vehicles continues to blur without clarity or enforcement.
San Mateo County still has the opportunity to move forward with a stronger ordinance, one developed with input from safety advocates, riders, and young people themselves. What cannot happen is continued paralysis while the risks grow.
Image credit: County of San Mateo