SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — With gas prices through the roof, E-bikes are becoming increasingly more popular.
After just a quick charge, your peddle or throttle assisted bike can get you up hills or across town in no time. They’re fast, accessible and if you know how to ride a bike, it's easy to use.
Sean Chavez runs Pedego Electric Bikes right off the Embarcadero in downtown San Diego.
He primarily does rentals for tourists looking to see the sites, which means he has to explain the safety protocols and laws for those new to riding E-bikes.
"I think there's a huge education piece that needs to happen for riders, especially new or young riders who are not used to the roadways," said Chavez
But what are the rules of the road for E-bikes?
Well, it turns out it can be quite complicated. Back in 2015 California passed a law defining what an electric bicycle was and dividing the types into three categories.
Class 1 and 2 are bikes that are assisted by a motor that kicks in while peddling or using the throttle, top speed 20 mph. Class 3 has a pedal assisted motor that has a top speed of 28 mph.
Any E-bike that goes faster than 28 mph is not street legal in California and must be registered with the DMV.
"Making sure that manufacturers are following the rules of the top speeds of the bikes," said Chavez. "Everyone wants to go faster. That's the big thing right now people call me all the time hey, can we hack this? Can we break this we go 'no'."
The laws around E-bikes are also very subjective to what city you’re in and where you choose to ride.
This handy graphic from the San Diego Bike Coalition you can see what is required to ride each class and where you can legally ride. As you can see, most E-bikes can go almost anywhere a regular bike can, unless noted otherwise.
Chavez and the San Diego Police Department wanting to remind people that several areas are completely out of bounds for E-bikes.
SDPD wants people to know that these areas are off-limits.
- On the public walkway on Ocean Front Walk in Mission Beach, beginning at the South Mission Beach Jetty northward to the terminus of the public walkway at Ocean Boulevard at Law Street in Pacific Beach;
- On the public walkway on the west side of Mission Bay Park from San Diego Place (adjacent to the South Mission Beach Jetty) to Corona Oriente Road (terminus of Crown Point Park), known as Bayside Walk;
- On the public walkway on the east side of Mission Bay Park from De Anza Road southward to the South Shores Boat Launch and Park; and
- On the boardwalk from Avenida De La Playa (adjacent to La Jolla Shores) north to the terminus of Kellogg Park at its northeast corner.
When it comes to E-bikes safety is key above all.
If you choose to hop on, take the time to make sure you have proper safety equipment and to know your classification- so you know where you can and can’t take your E-bike.
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