Tensions in the West Valley are amping up as e-bike riders zip through small community streets at high speeds. One town is trying to fix that.
Los Gatos Vice Mayor Rob Moore hosted a meeting last week to discuss concerns about dangerous e-bike riding, a rising trend in the small town that’s frustrated residents for months. Residents and officials aren’t upset with riders of regular e-bikes, but rather with teens riding powerful bikes with a throttle who unsafely pop wheelies on streets and cut off drivers — even though the bikes aren’t street legal. Local officials and residents want to solve the problem, and their efforts could lead to future legislative action.
Los Gatos’ existing regulations follow state guidelines, which cover regular e-bikes but not non-street legal bikes, including from popular brands Surron USA and Talaria. Those brands have motors that can exceed 750 watts, the maximum wattage allowed by the state to regulate speed and power. The guidelines divide e-bikes into three classifications defined by maximum speed and whether they have a throttle. California doesn’t require riders to have a driver’s license in any classification, but one classification requires riders to be 16 or older.
Moore is surprised by how many residents have voiced concerns about safety because teenagers are riding the e-bikes recklessly. He said one suggestion is to require students who ride e-bikes to school to register them with their districts.
“It’s so present, people are really worried that they themselves are going to be the person that either sees an accident or actually hits one of the kids,” Moore told San José Spotlight.
Most e-bike violations in town can result in an infraction, similar to a traffic violation, if the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department catches the rider. But that’s difficult to do safely because of the e-bike’s speed and maneuverability — and incidents are popping up across town. Concerned residents have posted videos to social media, including one showing riders harassing geese with their bikes at Vasona Park. They also posted about the riders weaving in between cars and riding their bikes in stores.
Lee Fagot, who’s lived in Los Gatos for about 30 years, witnessed a group of teenagers doing wheelies on Blossom Hill Road in front of traffic. He said involving local government is critical.
“It’s compounding, getting worse,” he told San José Spotlight. “We (may) have some real serious injuries and fatalities.”
The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department is working with local schools to promote safe and legal e-bike use, including through the Safe Routes to School program. The department supports newly introduced Assembly Bill 875, which would allow residents who violate e-bike laws to have their bikes confiscated and only returned after the rider attends safety training.
“(The police department) remains committed to educating parents and youth, encouraging voluntary compliance and exploring new ways to address safety concerns without over-criminalizing young riders,” a police spokesperson told San José Spotlight. “The department encourages families and guardians to be informed before purchasing e-bikes, as prevention, safety and legal compliance start with those providing these devices.”
The problem extends past Los Gatos’ borders into other West Valley cities such as Campbell. Between May 1 and Aug. 12, the Campbell Police Department received 22 calls regarding e-bikes, according to department data. The city has primarily dealt with state-regulated e-bikes, not non-street legal motorbikes like Los Gatos.
James Na, a senior at Los Gatos High School, rides his e-bike to and from school every day. He said e-bikes are often misconstrued for the bikes that aren’t street legal like Surrons or Talarias, and there needs to be more community education to prevent crashes from happening along with legal repercussions.
“I see what’s going on, and a lot of other people also see what’s going on, but there’s not a lot that we can do about it (right now),” he told San José Spotlight. “Sooner or later, it’s not the question of ‘if,’ it’s a question of when someone will be killed.”Other Bay Area jurisdictions have implemented laws to crack down on dangerous e-bike use. Assembly Bill 1778 recently took effect in Marin County as a pilot program that limits e-bikes with a throttle to riders 16 and older.”
Moore said there’s more work to be done in Los Gatos.
“My approach isn’t ban everything, making sure we really crack down on every kid who has an e-bike,” he said. “It’s (to) approach this from a place of empathy… As someone that grew up riding motorcycles and currently rides a motorcycle, if I would have been given a little e-motorcycle when I was 15, I think I would have gotten hurt.”
Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X.
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