Tighter regulations for e-bikes could be coming to New Jersey after a series of fatal crashes across the state.
Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) said he’s worried that amid the skyrocketing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters that go at speeds exceeding 35 miles per hour, more crashes will occur. “We’re in a new era of e-bike usage … They’re more affordable, they’re faster, they’re more powerful than we’ve ever seen before, and the risks have increased to those on the roadways and more particularly, those that are using them,” he said at a press conference on the steps of Scotch Plains Town Hall Wednesday.
A 13-year-old boy died Sept. 24 after his e-bike was hit by a landscaping truck in Scotch Plains, and a 22-year-old died on Sept. 22 when police say he was crossing opposing traffic on his e-bike and was hit by a van in Orange.
Two girls on an e-bike were killed in Cranford Monday, according to prosecutors, who have charged the Garwood teen driver accused in the motor vehicle crash with two counts of first-degree murder.
Nationally, e-bike injuries rose by 293% from 2019 to 2022, according to Columbia University researchers.
Scutari said he’s not looking to ban e-bikes. He said he recognizes they’re an environmentally friendly way to travel, and said he wants to get groups like insurance companies on board with his plan for more regulation.
He’s planning to introduce legislation in October that would reclassify e-bikes depending on how fast they go and require the state Motor Vehicle Commission to create an electric bicycle registration and sticker system. Under the legislation, riders would be mandated to obtain insurance and minors under the age of 17 would be prohibited from operating e-bikes that exceed 18 miles per hour, unless they’re licensed as mopeds.
A draft of the legislation was not available. The Legislature has been on a recess since June 30 and is not expected to return to Trenton until after November’s election, when the governor’s race and all 80 Assembly seats are on the ballot.
Some towns like Westfield have already taken action to limit where electric bikes can be ridden. Union County Commissioner Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded said the county plans to ban e-bikes at all county parks.
“As a mother of five, the recent e-bike tragedies — especially the heartbreaking loss of a 13-year-old in Scotch Plains — strike very close to home,” Palmieri-Mouded said in a statement.
Scutari also wants riders and drivers to get education on e-bike safety. Scutari said he sees people riding e-bikes without helmets, running stop signs, and driving in the wrong direction on roadways.
The Senate president warned that parents should be cognizant of how fast and far these bikes can go before purchasing them as if they’re pedal bikes.
“They go so fast, but they go so far that your child could end up two counties away in New Jersey. You’ve got a 20, 40-mile radius on some of these things. He could be in Manhattan, he could be down the shore, and (parents) don’t know where they’re at,” he said.
