Irvine police officers citing two students for riding an e-bike, illegally, without helmets
Biking has always been a popular mode of transportation and a favorite form of outdoor exercise for Irvine residents. To support our City’s cyclists, there are more than 100 miles of off-street bike trails and over 250 miles of on-street bike lanes. However, the increase in the number of electric bikes (e-bikes) on Irvine sidewalks and streets has raised serious safety concerns.
To address the matter, Mayor Larry Agran convened a public hearing last November where the Irvine Police Department (IPD) provided the City Council with an update on the growing number of collisions involving e-bikes — especially among the City’s youth.
During the November 12th meeting, Irvine Police Chief Michael Kent and his team reported that reckless behavior and collisions caused by young e-bike riders have risen dramatically over the past two years. Irvine traffic enforcement officials provided a detailed report showing that the vast majority of e-bike collisions are caused by riders under the age of 18. IPD staff also presented an alarming video showing Irvine teens flying down City streets and pathways, crossing intersections without yielding to oncoming traffic, and demonstrating little regard for pedestrians and motorists they encountered.
At the conclusion of November’s meeting, the Council voted 7-0 to adopt Mayor Agran’s motion to direct City staff to work with the IPD and the City Attorney to prepare a report with recommendations on what the City can and cannot do under existing state law to keep e-bike riders, pedestrians, and motorists safe.
City staff presented Public Safety recommendations during the January 27th City Council meeting. The recommendations included:
- Revising the City’s enforcement mechanisms to coincide with the California Vehicle Code
- Prohibiting users from modifying an e-bike’s speed capacity beyond its specifications
- Issuing citations to parents who knowingly allow their minor child to violate provisions in the City’s Municipal Code
- Implementing a 10 mph speed limit for all bikes/e-bikes on sidewalks (and 5 mph when pedestrians are present)
- Implementing a 20 mph speed limit for all bikes/e-bikes on bike paths
The Council voted 6-1 to adopt the Public Safety recommendations. (Councilmember Mike Carroll voted NO, saying he opposed setting speed limits for bikes/e-bikes on City sidewalks.)
In addition to the Council-approved Public Safety recommendations, Mayor Agran said that he wanted the IPD to step-up its enforcement of the state’s existing helmet law, which mandates that anyone under the age of 18 operating a bicycle or e-bike is required to wear a helmet. The Mayor noted that local trauma surgeons have reported an unprecedented number of injuries among children involved in e-bike collisions — resulting in leg fractures and traumatic brain injuries that require hospital admissions, intensive care, surgeries, and ongoing treatment.
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