EYE ON SJC
Municipalities Emphasize Education-First Approach to E-Bikes BY BREEANA GREENBERG, THE CAPISTRANO DISPATCH
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s electric bikes rise in popularity, local state and city leaders, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, along with school resource officers, are emphasizing an education-first approach to addressing community concerns of reckless ridership. Assemblymember Laurie Davies, for instance, introduced legislation earlier this year that would further promote school districts to partner with law enforcement agencies to provide safe riding education for electric and motorized bikes. In San Juan Capistrano, the city’s Police Services is working with school resource officers to develop a program requiring kids to verify that they’re wearing their helmets and riding an age-appropriate bike. And in Dana Point, Mayor Joe Muller is spearheading a proposed program that looks to require kids 16 and younger to complete an e-bike safety course. The ongoing education efforts come as the City of San Clemente’s e-bike ban on beaches, the Beach Trail, and the Municipal Pier recently went into effect. When reached for comment on the latest details of the ban, San Clemente Assistant to the City Manager Jennifer Savage wrote in an email that the city has focused primarily on education, with enforcement beginning Memorial Day weekend. To further promote such education and responsible riding, the City of San Clemente on Thursday, May 27, held another Bike Safety Rodeo for children 5 and older at the Vista Hermosa Sports Park. Earlier this month, Davies hosted a separate bike and e-bike safety event at Dana Hills High School in partnership with California Highway Patrol, OCSD and the three South County cities of Dana Point, San Clemente and San Juan. “It’s really about education,” Davies said. “I mean, this is a great way for kids to get around; it’s getting them out of the house, away from the video games, getting exercise, being able to be around others.” Municipalities began to notice that a lack of education and awareness of rules on e-bikes arose during the COVID-19 pandemic—when e-bikes continued to The Capistrano Dispatch May 27-June 9, 2022
As electric bikes rise in popularity, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, school resource officers and cities are emphasizing an education-first approach to addressing reckless ridership. Photo: Jacqueline Garrett
rise in popularity. Incident data obtained from the Orange County Fire Authority show that there have been 84 e-bike-related incidents within its contract cities since 2021, when the agency started tracking such information. Four e-bike-related incidents occurred in San Juan and nine in Dana Point, while San Clemente has seen 20 incidents occur. As public safety officials saw accidents increase, Davies said she realized the problem was rooted in a lack of education. “I don’t think there’s a consistency of what the rules of the road are,” Davies said. “Some are being told to be on the sidewalk, some are told they can’t be on the sidewalk.” To address concerns in Dana Point, Muller has proposed a safety program, which he brought up during the Dana Point City Council’s May 3 meeting, that would require e-bike riders under 16 in the city to show proof of completing a safety course if pulled over by law enforcement. Muller said that the overall problem of reckless riding likely won’t get any better until kids and parents start seeing consequences. “If we are able to make it mandatory,
and parents start seeing—off the top of my head, this is totally off the wall—if we were to confiscate a bike, and they had to come back and pay a fine to get it . . . $500, $1,000 . . . that’s going to actually send a warning signal, get the kids in this class,” Muller said. “The classes, right now, they’re free. It’s a Saturday morning for a couple hours. Go through it, answer some questions, and get your certificate. I think it’s worth doing.” Ideally, he added, he’d like legislation to be passed at the state level with a program similar to how California law requires all boaters to complete a safety exam and carry a California Boater Card. In late April, the Assembly voted unanimously to pass Davies’ legislation, Assembly Bill 2028. The measure amends existing law that authorizes school districts to partner with law enforcement and public agencies to provide bike safety education by revising the list of vehicles to also include e-bikes, motorized bikes and motorized scooters. “We want to be able to make sure that everybody’s educated, and now that, hopefully, this bill will go through, we can work together with our partners at (the Orange County Transit Authority). They’ve been fantastic, along with law Page 4
enforcement, our schools and our parents,” Davies said. The measure is now over at the State Senate, where it awaits an Education Committee hearing on June 8. In the meantime, Davies has encouraged local jurisdictions to develop their own programs. “Sometimes, we get a little tunnel vision in our own world here in our cities,” Muller said at the May 14 bike safety event. “(Davies) said you need to start talking to other cities, San Clemente, San Juan; make it consistent around South County, countywide.” Though Muller hopes to require kids younger than 16 to attend an e-bike safety class and receive a certification, he is not in favor of requiring a license to operate e-bikes. “It’s really more, making sure that parents understand that this is an important class,” he said. “You need to make sure your kids take it if you give them an e-bike.” He added that he’s not sure yet what the penalty would be for not completing the safety program, whether there would be impounding of bicycles, what the grace period would look like to start, or even if he had the votes on his council to pass it. (Cont. on page 6) thecapistranodispatch.com
