E-bikes in town

Submitted by PhilF on Sat, 31/05/2025 - 11:05am

I was downtown on Friday evening (supper time) and was amazed at the number of ebikes.  In one way that's a positive, but on the other hand, a lot of them were being ridden by young teens.  That's a great trend if it's something they learn to enjoy and decide that it's a better form of getting around than a car, specially if they keep that mindset as they get older. But the flip side is that it's not legal for kids under 14 to ride any ebike (and only low power ebikes if you're under 16).  They were riding them on the sidewalks, which again I'm not really bothered by condering the lack of foot traffic, but I do hope they understand it isn't appropriate if the sidewalks are busier with pedestrians.  Really, it's just like biking, just that with an ebike the potential for acceleration makes it easier to get into trouble.

The other disturbing trend with ebikes are the e-motos I'm seeing.  These I did not see on the sidewalk thankfully.  These were also being operated by young teens. Since they aren't class 1 ebikes, they are considered a full motorcycle.  They aren't likely to be street legal, but even if they were the operator needs a motorcycle license. And I definitely don't want to see them on our local biking/hiking trails - they would just tear them up, and be a hazard.  Again, if it's just the odd time I see this, I'm not really concerned.  I just don't want to see this normalized.

Parents should be aware of the legalities surrounding the different ebikes and inform their children of what they can and cannot do. I realize age related laws are going to be bent/broken by teenagers (I was one myself), but the ability to keep doing that is highly dependent on people staying somewhat responsible.  And maybe keeping it on the down lo.

Town: Rossland, BC
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Submitted by -Dani- on Sat, 31/05/2025 - 11:17am.

Thanks for this post, Phil! I was not aware of these legalities. While we don't have any e-bikes in our house, I am a parent, and should know these things. I have been concerned about the number of people (teens and adults), that ride their bikes on the sidewalk, so it was worth mentioning. Is this happening because they feel unsafe on the road? Perhaps there can be more education around supporting that so the bikes with the potential to injure pedestrians stay on the road.  

Thanks again for starting the conversation!

Submitted by Pj the Small on Sat, 31/05/2025 - 1:36pm.

Thanks for the comment! Don't have these bikes in our family but my teen is one getting rides and borrowing his buddies so I'll be sure to talk with him about this stuff. 

Submitted by Wyatt on Sat, 31/05/2025 - 4:52pm.

I live on Columbia downtown, and I have noticed a lot of young teens riding e-bikes on the sidewalks and engaging the accelerator while doing so, which I find concerning, especially when I am walking downtown with my baby in her carrier. The door to my building opens directly onto the sidewalk, and I make sure to double check before stepping out because I have seen kids rip by the doorway or doing quick turns in front of Subway.

I love how many e-bikes there are in town, and if these bikes had been available when I was their age, I totally would have been doing something similar, but I think it's important that parents discuss with their kids where riders should be dismounting their e-bikes so they don't inadvertently injure someone.

Personally, I have recently found  that I can't immediately tell if a bike is an e-bike or not, and I find the acceleration of the e-bikes unpredictable, especially when being ridden in a tight-turning situation like on sidewalks. It's often difficult to know how wide of a berth to give these riders, and this problem would be solved by simply educating kids about bike riding ettiquette when it comes to dismounting in pedestrian zones as well as the legalities mentioned above.

Thanks PhilF for starting this conversation!

Submitted by DorothyWD on Sat, 31/05/2025 - 7:36pm.

Good discussion, thanks for bringing it up.  I used to love speed and risks.  I was often naive about the potential impact on others.  Not so much now.  Getting hit by an out of control bike (or dog) causing a fall while walking or riding somewhere wouldnt be just an injury:  it could be forever life-altering.  Should I have to stay off the trails and sidewalks because of this concern? I sure hope not.

So in these discussions, I really hope that it can be emphasized that so many people out there struggle to just get out and down the street.....and the smallest of bumps or "scares" and startles can be enough to knock a person off balance.  If you live with osteoporosis, well that fall could very well break a spinal bone and result in loss of ability to walk.  If you have an artificial joint, that fall can knock it loose, cause need for surgery, and risk infection and loss of limb...and life.

Unless you have worked in healthcare for years, most people have no idea the extent of visible and invisible disability a large number of people live with.

Woth so many struggles already faced by these people, let's not add fear of getting knocked over by an out of control bike (or dog).