CalBike: Enforce Existing Laws, Don’t Create New Nuisance Ones

Yesterday, Streetsblog reported on Assembly Bill 1942, also known as the E-Bike Accountability Act, introduced by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda). As part of her outreach for the legislation, Bauer-Kahan has released a survey for people (bicyclists and everyone else) to share their opinions and experiences with e-bikes.

You can take the E‑Bike Accountability & Disabled Safety Survey here.

AB 1942 would require owners of Class 2 and Class 3 electric bicycles to register those bikes with the California Department of Motor Vehicles and display a special license plate issued by the DMV. Under the bill’s language, riders would also need to carry proof of ownership matching the bike’s serial number, and enforcement officers could issue fines if these requirements aren’t met. AB 1942 would create an Electric Bicycle Registration Fund to manage revenues and enforce compliance, although it would also appropriate initial funding from the state General Fund.

In an email entitled, “The Wrong Fix for the Right Fear,” CalBike is urging members to take the survey. As the title indicates, CalBike believes that Bauer-Kahan’s concerns with people using electric-powered motor cycles and e-bikes that are modified to go at higher speeds are on target. However, CalBike believes that enforcement of existing safety laws, not the creation of new ones, is the key to making streets safer.

“E-bikes represent a novel opportunity to give people in California a reliable, clean, and independent way to get around. Join us in urging the Attorney General’s office to curb the sale of illegal e-motos in California,” CalBike writes.

You can support their campaign for better enforcement of e-bike laws by signing their petition.