Carlsbad grapples with e-bike surge, safety fallout
A decade after California redefined e-bikes, Carlsbad faces mounting injuries, fatalities, and public pressure ahead of a pivotal safety meeting
CARLSBAD — Ten years ago, a significant change was made to how electrified bikes and scooters are classified in a large-scale effort to encourage the adoption of micromobility devices and e-bikes.
Since then, the industry has exploded in popularity, and with it, injuries and deaths have skyrocketed as e-bikes have become a mainstream form of micromobility. Now, cities are starting to pull on the reins as the industry and its safety concerns have lapped local governance.
On Sept. 16, the Carlsbad Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission will hold a special meeting regarding a ban on e-bikes for riders under 12 through Assembly Bill 2234 by Tasha Boerner (D-Encinitas). On March 25, the City Council voted to direct the commission to solicit input from residents on a potential age minimum for e-bike riders.
“Last year we worked with Assembly member Boerner to pass a new state law that authorizes cities in San Diego County to have an option to pass a local ordinance that would prohibit anyone younger than 12 years old from riding an e-bike,” Councilwoman Teresa Acosta said during the March meeting. “This is an optional tool.”
The city appears to be building on its ordinance approved several years ago, and following in the footsteps of Chula Vista, which passed strict regulations on e-bikes several months ago due to growing safety concerns.
As for Carlsbad, the issue has been simmering for years and reached a boiling point in August 2022 when two cyclists were killed, leading the city to declare a state of emergency. The city reported 249 collisions involving bikes and e-bikes between 2019 to mid-August 2022, or a 233% increase.
Before the two deaths in 2022, the City Council approved an ordinance in March 2022 with new regulations for mobility “devices,” including e-bikes. Carlsbad police reported a significant increase in injuries, while noting e-bike or mobility device operators were at fault 72 times out of 99 collisions from January 2020 through July 2021, according to The Coast News.
According to city data between 2020-24, there have been 411 total bike collisions, with a high of 101 in 2022. Riders were found to be at fault in 265 cases (64%), while vehicles were at fault in 109 (26.5%). Those incidents accounted for 52 severe injuries and four fatalities.
When parsed out, collisions for e-bikes have also increased from seven in 2020 to a high of 62 in 2022, with a five-year total of 211. Of those, 142 (67%) of e-bike riders were at fault, while vehicles were at fault in 52 cases (25%). There were 25 severe injuries and one death, city records show.
The data includes solo bike collisions resulting in an injury. In those cases, it’s just one bike or e-bike with no vehicle, pedestrian or other bike involved, according to a city spokeswoman.
The ordinance requires riders to use due care, reduce speed when necessary for safety, follow all rules of the road, and dismount their mobility device on narrow trails (less than 5 feet wide) when within 50 feet of a pedestrian or horseback rider. Other provisions of the ordinance prohibit operators from riding on sidewalks, public drainage facilities, athletic courts, or gymnasiums, although individuals can walk across those areas without being charged.
Penalties include completing a safety course by CPD instead of a fine for a first-time offense, while repeat offenders can be subjected to penalties.
Due to the growing safety concerns, the city and CPD partnered with Carlsbad Unified School District and the San Diego Bicycle Coalition to develop a bicycle and e-bike program to teach kids the rules of the road, city ordinances and safety.
The SDBC did not respond to a request for comment on Carlsbad’s upcoming meeting.
However, many residents have voiced concerns for years about the actions and behaviors of kids riding recklessly on the streets, packing up and harassing motorists, residents and others. Other complaints against riders (not just kids) are a lack of awareness on the road, blowing through stop signs and traffic signals and others.
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