In a sadly misguided effort to curb problem e-bike riders, the City of Carlsbad’s Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission voted September 16, 2025, to recommend that the City Council adopt a minimum age of 12 for riding e-bikes and consider additional actions because, you know, e-bikes are the scourge of our peaceful hamlet by the sea.
We are not fans of e-bikes in general (just pedal your bike, you lazy sod), but ebikes are here, they are useful, they are reducing traffic on our streets and smog in our air, and more importantly, they are getting kids to school in a district that doesn’t believe getting kids to school is important enough to fund school buses.
There are problems, however, with those crazy kids wheelieing down the middle of the street or swerving in and out of traffic that’s stopped at a red light. But banning kids under 12 from riding e-bikes is not going to solve that problem because, as the city already knows, the problem kids are not under 12. The City also knows that the way to handle the problem kids is to have the Police Department enforce all the traffic laws we already have. We don’t need more laws for Carlsbad Police Department to enforce.
Why is a ban on under-12 riders bad? Because there are 8- to 11-year-old kids who need to get to school. Who may live too far away to ride pedal bikes in a reasonable time. This City always seems to forget about the kids who actually need to ride e-bikes to school. Not every kid in Carlsbad has a stay-at-home parent with a brand-new, American-flag-dragging, lifted monster golf cart to chauffeur them anywhere they want to go at all hours of the day or night. And making rules that limit the abilities of people who need to ride e-bikes simply because a few bad kids are causing havoc is missing the entire point.
But that’s what we think. For what the Carlsbad Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission thinks, please follow the jump.
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Carlsbad Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission recommends prohibiting e-bike use for children under 12
During a special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16, the City of Carlsbad’s Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission voted to recommend the City Council adopt a minimum age of 12 for riding e-bikes and consider additional actions.
Recent state legislation, Assembly Bill 2234, allows cities in San Diego County, as well as the county itself, to establish a minimum age of 12 for riding e-bikes as part of a pilot program. After the state legislation was passed, the Carlsbad City Council requested that the commission hold this meeting to gather community input on the potential minimum age.
The city received more than 550 emailed comments leading up to the commission meeting.
Most comments expressed support for a minimum age of at least 12 years old
Many requested the city consider additional rules and restrictions beyond what AB 2234 includes
Some were opposed to the minimum age, requesting the city focus on education instead
While AB 2234 opens the door for consideration of a minimum age, state law still restricts the city’s ability to adopt broader rules, including requiring e-bike riders to obtain licenses.
In addition to recommending the City Council adopt an ordinance prohibiting children under age 12 from riding e-bikes, the commission also voted to recommend the City Council lobby for state legislation that would give cities more flexibility to adopt stricter rules, including:
Licensing, registration and insurance requirements for e-bikes
Expanding the age restriction above 12
The commission also requested that staff research the feasibility of two additional options, which would be presented to the City Council for consideration:
Prohibiting riders under age 16 from riding with passengers
Including Carlsbad in Assembly Bill 1778, which established a different e-bike pilot program in Marin County. The law allows local agencies in Marin County to prohibit anyone under age 16 from riding Class 2 e-bikes and require helmet use for anyone, regardless of age, riding a Class 2 e-bike.
Ongoing efforts
In 2022, Carlsbad became the first city in the region to pass local e-bike safety laws to curtail reckless riding as a key part of the city’s broader traffic safety strategy. The Carlsbad Police Department will continue enforcing these laws and educating riders about the rules of the road.
In Carlsbad, bike and e-bike riders are required to:
Ride with due care and reduce speed when needed, including when pedestrians are present
Obey all traffic signs and signals
Wear a helmet if under age 18, or while riding a Class 3 e-bike regardless of age
Refrain from riding on sidewalks
As part of an enforcement strategy conducted from May to September this year, Carlsbad Police Officers initiated nearly 180 stops to issue verbal or written warnings, and in some cases citations, to e-bike riders. First time offenders have the option to take a safety course instead of paying the fine, and the majority of people who take the course are not cited again as repeat offenders.
Education is a key part of the Police Department’s approach.
School districts operating in Carlsbad have worked with the city to develop bike safety or permit programs for middle and high school students.
The Carlsbad Police Department is the only law enforcement agency in San Diego County with officers who have been certified as bike instructors by the League of American Bicyclists.
Since 2022, the Police Department has hosted 24 bike safety courses with more than 1,500 participants.
Next steps
The City Council will review the community input gathered before and during this week’s Traffic Safety & Mobility meeting and discuss whether to adopt the commission’s recommendations.
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