California town seeks to criminalize wheelies on ’75 mph electric bikes’

In a reflection of growing sentiment in the US against reckless electric bike riders, one California town is preparing to enact a series of new restrictions and legal clarifications for e-bike riders.

This week, the Santa Barbara City Council will be discussing proposed changes to its city ordinances pertaining to electric bicycles.

The move has been spurred by many in the city having taken issue with riders who operate their bikes in reckless or dangerous manners, often riding near pedestrians on sidewalks or showing a general disregard for the safety of passersby.

As KEYT pointed out, the concerns are often associated with riders of light electric motorcycles such as those made by Sur Ron, Talaria, and other similar bikes. These motorbikes generally do not fall under the legal definition of electric bicycles in most jurisdictions, including in California. Their use on public roads is usually illegal as most lack the requirements for street-legal use. Their intended use is trail riding, such as on fire roads and other off-road scenarios.

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“Among them is a Surron,” explained KEYT’s John Palminteri. “It is capable of going up to 75 miles per hour according to the manufacturer and through online video testing. There’s even an additional modification that is said to increase that number another five miles per hour.”

In actuality, most Sur Ron electric motorbikes are capable of speeds around 40-50 mph, though several popular online videos have showcased owners hot-rodding their bikes for higher speed. There are also larger, higher-performance models available, though they are considerably rarer on the streets. Such bikes are used more commonly in the motocross scene.

Young riders cruising the streets while popping wheelies on Sur Ron-style electric motorbikes have become a key image in the debate over reckless riding in cities around the US.

The proposed Santa Barbara ordinance changes include language to tackle that phenomenon head on, including “clarifying language that tricks or wheelies constitute riding in an unsafe manner when pedestrians or vehicles are present.”

Potential actions include “citations, an educational component, and the option to impound a bike by someone illegally riding it.”

According to KEYT, additional definitions and regulatory changes in the proposed ordinance ammendements include:

• Defines what constitutes operating in an unsafe manner and provides examples of unsafe ridership behaviors. This section is applicable to any public street, public right of way, sidewalk, bicycle path, lane, or trail.
• Requires riders to use bike lanes where possible, and on streets without bike lanes, to ride close to the right curb or edge of roadway.
• Requires riders to ride in single file, and not more than two abreast except on paths or parts of a roadway set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles.
• Requires the yielding to pedestrians when emerging from an alley, driveway, bicycle path, building or otherwise approaching upon a sidewalk or sidewalk area.
• Prohibits the riding of a bicycle or electric bicycle on any sidewalk except while an active threat to personal or public safety is present.
• Requires the wearing of properly strapped helmets for all riders under 18 years of age and that all bicycles or electric bicycles have reflectors affixed to both the front and back wheels and on the rear of the bike.
• Prohibits the operation of a bicycle or electric bicycle on a roadway unless it is equipped with a brake that will enable the operator to make one braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement.
• Prohibits the parking of a bicycle or e-conveyance in a manner that obstructs a sidewalk or pedestrian path.
• Stipulates that any violation of the ordinance is punishable as an administrative citation with the fine not exceeding $100 for the first violation, $200 for a second violation, and $500 for each additional violation within a one-year period.