Why this matters
As e-bikes become more popular and the injuries associated with them become more prevalent, cities around the county are updating their policies to ensure the safety of young riders.
Escondido may be the next city in San Diego County to restrict e-bikes, which have become more popular as injuries associated with them have become more prevalent in recent years.
The Escondido City Council will consider a new ordinance at its meeting on Wednesday. The policy would ban riders under 12 and give law enforcement more authority to penalize riders — including confiscating e-bikes and issuing fines of $50 for a first violation and $200 for a third.
Escondido Police Traffic Division Lt. Craig Miller told inewsource that the city does not have the same quantity of e-bikes as some of the coastal cities in North County, but said that city staff and police are being proactive in updating the city’s bike ordinance.
That policy has not been amended since 2009. It would take effect after a second council vote on the measure this summer.
“We want to make sure we’re getting ahead of it before we have a bigger problem,” Miller said.
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.
The city’s new laws would allow law enforcement to temporarily confiscate and impound e-bikes if riders are not using them safely. Officers could also issue administrative citations for reckless riding to people on e-bikes or their parents if they are minors. Riders would be allowed to opt for police department-approved safety education courses instead of paying a fine.
The new ordinance would also ban people from carrying another person on the e-bike unless it has a spot for multiple riders. It would entirely ban e-bikes on city trails, in John Masson Memorial Bike Park or Kit Carson Park and on Daley Ranch.
As e-bikes have soared in popularity in the past few years, and contributed to a rash of injuries and accidents, cities have grappled with how to ensure public safety. So far, several cities, including Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Coronado, La Mesa, Poway, San Marcos, and Santee, have used a state law specific to San Diego County that allows them to prevent people under 12 from riding e-bikes.
The legislation was approved by lawmakers and signed by the governor in 2024 after the city of Carlsbad worked with Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, D-Encinitas. It allows local governments in San Diego County to adopt a pilot program banning people under 12-years-old from riding e-bikes. Under the law, riders get a warning for 60 days after the ordinance is adopted, and then get a fine of $25.
Miller said that children under 12 generally lack the reaction time and maturity to make quick decisions to handle the high speed of e-bikes. He said he’s seen a “huge increase in significant injuries,” including head injuries, for children and adults.
Some leaders in other cities have said that the ban for riders under 12 does not go far enough to address growing safety concerns, and some cities have adopted additional rules as a result. Carlsbad, for instance, banned e-bikes at a local parks and allowed law enforcement to confiscate bikes from minors riding unsafely, among other measures.
The Oceanside City Council opted against the under 12 ban, and instead adopted an ordinance earlier this year that allowed police to temporarily confiscate e-bikes for what officials described as safety reasons, including for people with two or more bike-related criminal violations within a year. The bikes can be held as evidence until the case is closed, and the owner can get it back afterwards without paying any fees. The city also banned people from carrying another passenger on e-bikes that aren’t purposely built for more than one rider.
