County Considers E-bike Regs

by Lisa Neff

Cycling into May, the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners is taking up a proposal to consider electric bike regulations.

An initial discussion was expected this week. The board’s agenda for a May 6 meeting includes a request from Commissioner Bob McCann, District 5, to discuss and possibly motion to instruct staff to create an ordinance regulating e-bikes and also e-scooters in public spaces.

“Residents have been informing us of dangerous situations that involve children riding around on electric bikes and scooters,” read a note for the agenda item. “There has been complaints of the bikes going through residential neighborhoods and terrorizing the residents. There have also been numerous accidents involving these bikes, making them completely unsafe.”

Across the United States, e-bike regulation is inconsistent, with some states requiring operator’s licenses to ride them and some states setting an age restriction at 16.

In Florida, e-bikes generally are treated as bicycles. Licensing, registration and insurance are not required and they are allowed on roads, as well as on multiuse paths, bike lanes and sidewalks except where local regulations apply.

Some local jurisdictions have enacted e-bike regulations, including Collier County earlier this spring.

Collier’s regulations prohibit operators under age 16 from riding Class 3 e-bikes on public roads and pathways, institute a speed limit of 15 miles per hour for all e-bikes on sidewalks and require most e-bike cyclists to use bike lanes when available.

The Collier regulations also prohibit Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes with throttles allowing for speeds over 20 mph from sidewalks.

An outline with McCann’s discussion request emphasized safety as a motivation for the Manatee board’s conversation on the topic.

The outline also proposed:

• Defining e-bikes as vehicles with fully operable pedals and an electric motor powered by a rechargeable battery.

• Defining e-scooters as vehicles with platforms for standing and a set of wheels powered by a rechargeable battery.

Regulations could include:

• An age restriction that says riders must be at least 16 to operate e-bikes and e-scooters.

• A helmet requirement for all riders.

• A speed limit of 20 mph in urban areas and 25 mph in rural areas.

• A parking requirement that e-bikes and e-scooters in public spaces be left at designated areas, like bike racks.

• An educational component requiring operators complete a safety course, like an online tutorial.

The county discussion is coming up during National Bike Month, when communities across the country promote cycling, safety and awareness with campaigns like National Bike to Work Week and National Ride A Bike Day.

Did you know?

The global e-bike market is forecast to grow from $48.72 billion in 2024 to $71.48 billion in 2030, according to an April study by the MarketsandMarkets research platform. The North American e-bike market is projected to grow at fastest rate during the period.