A Los Angeles City Council panel is pushing to ban electric bikes on most city recreational trails,
Saying that the machines pose a danger to pedestrians and horse riders.
The council’s Arts, Parks, Libraries and Community Enhancement Committee voted 3 to 0 in favor of the measure, which now heads to the council’s Transportation Committee before potentially moving on to the full City Council, which must approve the ban before it goes into effect.
“When you have something that’s motorized and going through the same area, especially if it’s a somewhat rough area, for people who have sensitive knees, ankles — you don’t want to create a scary situation,” said Council Member Adrien Nazarian.
Although he voted to support the measure, Nazarian said he was willing to make changes such as restricting certain classes of e-bikes rather than a blanket ban.
The ban, proposed by Council Member John Lee, would still allow e-bikes on designated bikeways in the city, including some along the L.A. River and city beaches.
Regular bikes are already banned on anything designated as “trail” by city ordinance, but a spokesperson for Lee said e-bikes were a gray area that his proposal aims to address.
Supporters of the measure include Lisa Baca of Monteverde Ranch Equestrian Center in the northeastern San Fernando Valley, who said horses are animals that can easily be spooked by encountering a moving e-bike.
“They panic and it becomes very dangerous for both riders,” he said in an interview. Additionally, Baca said it would be difficult to enforce any restrictions on remote routes.
Eli Akira Kaufman, director of the nonprofit advocacy group BikeLA, criticized the proposed ban as a “blunt instrument” and said the city should instead engage in a public education campaign aimed at getting people to share space safely.
Michael Schneider, chief executive of StreetsforAll, said the main problem on trails comes not from e-bikes but from people riding more powerful motorcycles and motorized trail bikes that are not street legal.
Federal regulations regarding e-bikes are liberal; They are considered non-motorized vehicles like regular bikes and riders are not required to have a driver’s license or insurance. Local rules, such as those proposed by Lee, can vary widely by jurisdiction.
Under California law, e-bikes and e-motorcycles are classified differently based on motor power, maximum speed, and whether the bike has working pedals. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes do not require a license or insurance, while Class 3 riders must be at least 16 years of age.
Katherine Lerer, a partner at the law firm McGee Lerer Ogreen, who has worked on dozens of e-bike accident cases, said accidents are more dangerous because the riders – sometimes children – are moving faster than on regular pedal bikes.
“Minors who ride e-bikes don’t appreciate how fast these bikes go, and they don’t know the rules that apply to driving e-bikes,” Lerer said. “It’s just a recipe for disaster.”
