Cities throughout Orange County have taken aim at e-bikes, enacting various ordinances in an effort to rein in unsafe riding while a host of new state bills focused on e-bikes were just signed into law.

This week, Yorba Linda City Council members unanimously approved an ordinance imposing stricter regulations on e-bike riders in an attempt to address growing concerns over public safety. 

The new law will limit e-bikes to 10 mph on trails and 25 mph on city streets, and prohibit riding while under the influence.

Council members said the problem boils down to the unruly behavior of kids, not the use of e-bikes by those who follow safety rules.

Mayor Janice Lim noted that the solution might be in imposing age restrictions, pointing to Oregon, which prohibits e-bike use under 16. 

“It’s the behavior,” she said at the meeting. “It’s a parental, guardian issue.” 

Councilwoman Peggy Haung, who previously pushed for an e-bike ban in the city, also said the priority needs to be education.

“I would like to ask staff to reach out to Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District to see if they would post these good conduct rules on their website, as well as perhaps do more assemblies and education on their campuses,” Haung said at the meeting. 

The ordinance also targets rider safety by requiring helmets for anyone under 18 and banning wheelies.

Some residents still called for tougher measures.

Resident Kathy Wright said kids are reckless on e-bikes and suggested having the DMV issue licenses.

“It’s as dangerous, as deadly as a motorcycle,” she said at the meeting. “How does it slip under the radar and not have to meet the same criteria?” 

Resident DeeDee Fedrick urged the City Council to consider a full ban on e-bikes from trails.

“Assembly Bill 1909 gives you the authority to keep the e-bikes off our trails,” Fedrick said at the meeting. 

Assembly Bill 1909, also known as the “OmniBike Bill,” which took effect last year, enhances bicycle safety and access, including allowing cities to regulate e-bike use on certain trails.

Local Assemblymembers Laurie Davies (R-Laguna Niguel) and Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) have successfully got a handful of e-bike bills signed into law this year. 

Both legislators told Voice of OC that they’re trying to make it easier to uniformly regulate e-bikes while also addressing safety concerns without outright banning the transportation.

[Read: Cracking Down E-bikes: Orange County’s Battle for Safer Roads] 

Councilwoman Tara Campbell also called for a ban on all e-bikes from dirt trails to help preserve and protect equestrian paths and hiking areas.

“An e-bike going through there and a horse can’t dodge an e-bike,” she said at the meeting. “I feel like it’s asking, sadly, for an accident there.” 

Councilman Shivindir Singh questioned whether pushing e-bike riders onto streets could create new safety risks for riders. 

“Do we want to push our kids from the sidewalks to the main streets, where you have cars driving, distracted drivers on their cell phones, driving at 60 miles an hour?” he said at the meeting. 

Lim said there are many adults in the city who rely on e-bikes as transportation and asked her not to prohibit these e-bikes from trails. 

She added that because many trails connect to pavement, banning e-bikes on dirt paths could create confusion and complicate enforcement.

“I would caution us against doing that because there are a lot of people who use our trails with bikes and e-bikes,” she said at the meeting.  

Council members asked staff to review the trails’ surfaces and connections to pavement before deciding whether to ban e-bikes from dirt paths for easier enforcement.

Campbell said the city council will always have the opportunity to revisit and amend the ordinance.

“If we realize something else is of concern, we can revisit this ordinance,” Campbell said. “We can add it in there, but we clearly need a first step to address some of our community’s growing concerns.” 

A first violation will be an infraction with a $250 fine, a second offense will carry a $500 fine, and any additional violations within 12 months will be treated as a misdemeanor with a $1,000 fine.

Councilman Carlos Rodriguez said he trusts law enforcement to enforce the ordinance against anyone riding in a way that endangers people, animals, or themselves.

“This is a really good first step,” Rodriguez said at the meeting. “It’s not perfect, but it could very well save lives.”