Many cities have speed laws for e-bikes because they uncomfortably straddle the line between a motorized vehicle and not, and it is hard to tell the difference on sight. A Class 3 e-bike can legally go 28 mph and there isn’t much preventing people from modifying their e-bikes to go faster.
The reason why they are getting regulated in NJ is because a lot of e-bike riders are either riding them on sidewalks at near car speeds or they are going faster on roads but ignoring road regulations like stop signs. The e-bikes have to go somewhere while both pedestrians and motorists don’t want to give up their space.
The biggest controversy seems to be that the regulations impose similar burdens on lower speed ebikes:
The law treats a low-speed 15-20 mph (25-32 km/h) throttle-equipped Class 2 e-bike much more like a motorcycle than like a bicycle, despite its similar performance to a standard Class 1 pedal-assist bike. Bike shops and advocacy groups have instead urged lawmakers to exempt low-speed e-bikes under 20 mph (32 km/h) from licensing, registration, and insurance requirements while focusing regulation on higher-speed, higher-powered machines that more closely resemble electric mopeds.
I won’t be surprised if the law changes as the people who wanted the regulations are somewhat mollified by the outcome or are still pissed that kids are ignoring stop signs.
That said, it will probably be easier for them to get Class 1&2 grouped together due to disabilities and get the insurance requirements waived, but I won’t be surprised if they keep the license as a requirement even if they lower the age requirement. New Jersey was one of the first states to institute a restricted teenage driver’s license. I think people supporting e-bike regulation are still going to want some forced test to ensure that riders know the rules of the road
I’m sure they will but it’s still bullshit, licensing was never needed for bicycles, licenses are only justified for automobiles because they kill so many people due to their size and speed. Bureaucracy is a burden mentally, practically and on privacy, not everything needs to be managed and catalogued by the state.
Many cities have speed laws for e-bikes because they uncomfortably straddle the line between a motorized vehicle and not, and it is hard to tell the difference on sight. A Class 3 e-bike can legally go 28 mph and there isn’t much preventing people from modifying their e-bikes to go faster.
The reason why they are getting regulated in NJ is because a lot of e-bike riders are either riding them on sidewalks at near car speeds or they are going faster on roads but ignoring road regulations like stop signs. The e-bikes have to go somewhere while both pedestrians and motorists don’t want to give up their space.
The biggest controversy seems to be that the regulations impose similar burdens on lower speed ebikes:
I won’t be surprised if the law changes as the people who wanted the regulations are somewhat mollified by the outcome or are still pissed that kids are ignoring stop signs.
That said, it will probably be easier for them to get Class 1&2 grouped together due to disabilities and get the insurance requirements waived, but I won’t be surprised if they keep the license as a requirement even if they lower the age requirement. New Jersey was one of the first states to institute a restricted teenage driver’s license. I think people supporting e-bike regulation are still going to want some forced test to ensure that riders know the rules of the road
I’m sure they will but it’s still bullshit, licensing was never needed for bicycles, licenses are only justified for automobiles because they kill so many people due to their size and speed. Bureaucracy is a burden mentally, practically and on privacy, not everything needs to be managed and catalogued by the state.
That’s New Jersey for you.