Creating a Safer Environment for E-Bikes and Scooters

Overview

Safe e-bikes are being confused with dangerous e-motos on our streets.
BikeWalkKC believes a focus on infrastructure, education, and regulation are needed to address this.
A collaborative approach involving parents, schools, and decision makers can create a safer environment for everyone.

Read on for more information.

The recent news of fatal and serious crashes involving young people riding e-bikes and scooters in our region is tragic and frustrating. BikeWalkKC wishes to extend our sincere condolences to the families of Hazen Workman-Duffy and Duke Ommert. The hardest part of our work is to console the loved ones of someone who was killed walking, rolling, or biking -- something that is compounded when the victim is a child. Those tragedies are made worse by the fact that in many instances, decision makers knew that the location of a crash was dangerous and refused to act until it was too late.

BikeWalkKC has heard increasing questions about e-bikes and scooters from parents, teachers, elected officials, and more. There is a clear desire to do something, but we have grown concerned that cities are cracking down on e-bikes and scooters instead of building safe places for kids to ride. Broad stroke bans and restrictions are no substitute for meaningful community engagement, education to adults and children, and investment in better multimodal infrastructure.

While we work to address individual challenges that have arisen, we also want to put forth basic information to inform those conversations and guide steps towards action that ultimately creates a safer environment for everyone. With that in mind, we’ve put together this piece to answer three basic questions:

What's an e-bike (and what isn't)?
What is BikeWalkKC's stance on e-bikes and scooters?
How can we make it safer to use e-bikes and scooters?

"E-Motos" (electric motorcycles, electric mopeds, and electric dirt bikes) are getting confused with electric bicycles.

What's an e-bike (and what isn't)?

First, it’s important to understand what is considered an e-bike and what isn’t. For several years now, industry groups like People for Bikes as well as local and state governments have adopted the 3-class model for distinguishing between different types of e-bikes. It’s important to note that such a classification system doesn’t currently exist for scooters. You can read more about the different classes here, but e-bike classifications can be understood as follows:

While reputable e-bike manufacturers follow these guidelines, there are other manufacturers who don’t. The products they produce may be advertised as e-bikes, but they are not. They don’t follow the same guidelines for speed and throttle that actual e-bikes do. These are increasingly being classified as “E-Motos” because they are closer to dirtbikes or motorcycles than they are to e-bikes. What adds to the challenge of distinguishing between these two groups of vehicles is a regulatory landscape that is slow to adapt and too often paints all of these vehicles with the same broad brush.

What is BikeWalkKC's stance on e-bikes and scooters?

BikeWalkKC supports the use of e-bikes and scooters with the following stipulations:

Bicycling can be a safe and empowering way for youth to get around their community and learn independence skills.
Metro communities must invest in more trails and protected bike lanes so youth and people of all ages and abilities have safe places to ride.
Classification and regulation of e-bikes and scooters should be consistent across local jurisdictions.
Helmet use, while strongly encouraged, should not be required because of the impact on riders of color and riders who are unhoused.
Metro cities should quickly add better bike parking to deter theft and support accessibility.

How can we make it safer to use e-bikes and scooters?

Creating a safer environment for kids to safely walk, roll, or bike to school and beyond will take all of us. BikeWalkKC is already working with some stakeholders on strategies, but here’s what key groups can do as well:

Parents

Make sure your child has a safe e-bike or scooter (and helmet), not an e-moto
Help your child understand the rules of the road
Talk with other parents about the concerns they have
Demand that your Mayor and City Council build more trails and protected bike lanes where your children can ride safely and confidently

Schools & School Districts

Expand bike and scooter parking options on school grounds
Integrate bicycle and pedestrian safety into the curriculum
Survey parents, teachers, and students to better understand the mix of users
Work to support community efforts like walking school buses and bike rodeos
Partner with BikeWalkKC to provide bike safety and bike skills instruction to your students

Elected Officials & Staff

Build more places that are safe for bicycling and scooter riding, and do it quickly!
Ensure your city has an updated bicycle master plan
Ensure that staff and elected officials understand the difference between e-bikes and e-motos
Engage with your bicycle and pedestrian advisory group(s)
Identify existing gaps and opportunities for quick-build infrastructure improvements

E-bikes and scooters are forms of micromobility that represent a broader shift in the transportation landscape. While challenges have emerged, the broader opportunities that these modes present should be recognized and nourished. In many ways, e-bikes and scooters are like the very children we see riding them: With a combination of investment, commitment, patience, and nuance, they can flourish into something transformational that makes our society better in the long run.