Where are e-bikes banned in Michigan? What to know about bills, classifications
Underestimating e-bikes: Pediatric doctor weighs in on what he’s seeing
It’s easy for parents and riders to underestimate the safety concerns of e-bikes. Only 6% of parents rated themselves as "very informed" about the different types of e-bikes in a new poll from the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. A pediatric doctor weighs in on what he’s seeing.
Multiple cities in metro Detroit have begun addressing e-bike safety concerns as injuries and crashes continue to increase – especially among teenagers.
Meanwhile, two bills have been introduced in Lansing that would restrict e-bike usage for minors in Michigan.
Here’s what to know:
E-bikes vs. e-motos
Detroit Talk City | Jason Hall and Sandra Ramocan
Jason Hall, co-founder of Slow Roll Detroit, talks about e-bike and the bans happening around the area. And Sandra Ramocan from Alternative for Girls talks about keeping loved ones safe from human trafficking.
Big picture view:
A common and fundamental misunderstanding is happening on the types of "bikes" out there, and how they’re classified under Michigan law. E-bikes and e-motos are a separate thing.
What they're saying:
"A lot of times, we get caught up in the "e" part of it, but not what we’re actually talking about. An electric bike is something you work with; an e-motorcycle is exactly that. It’s a motorcycle with a throttle that generally exceeds the maximum limit of an e-bike, and it’s a motorcycle," Jason Hall, co-founder of Slow Roll Detroit, said on Detroit Talk City.
Emergency room visits are up, and so are the calls for legal advice.
"I’m getting calls every single day," said attorney Mike Morse on The Pulse. "I went to the hospital myself, and the guy was losing his leg and his family said he was riding an e-bike. … I got the police report and it was truly a moped. He didn’t have insurance, he didn’t have registration - he doesn’t have a case. I’m seeing that happen; we must have laws in place."
Dr. Andy Hashikawa, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Michigan Medicine, said hospitalization rates are almost twice that of regular bikes – and that injuries are getting more severe.
E-bike classifications
FILE - E-Bikes for sale. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Dig deeper:
Hall says you can get even more in the weeds with the three classifications of e-bikes, which have to do with pedal assistance, throttle and speed:
- Class 1: pedal assist only, maximum speed of 20 mph
- Class 2: pedal assist and throttle, maximum speed of 20 mph for both functions
- Class 3: pedal assist and throttle, maximum speed of 28 mph for pedal assist and maximum speed of 20 mph for throttle
In Michigan, once a bike can exceed 28 mph under motor assist, or can exceed 20 mph with a throttle – it’s considered an e-moto. And e-motos are classified as motor vehicles under Michigan law.
RELATED: Teens on e-bikes in Oakland County causes pilot to abort landing at runway
E-bike laws in Michigan
Additionally, a permanent label must be on the e-bike that accurately identifies its class type. And, after purchase, if the bike is altered in a way that changes its class type, a new label meeting the legal criteria must be affixed that accurately identifies the new class type.
Meanwhile:
Parents, legal experts and those in the biking community are noticing an uptick in injuries and crashes, and are calling for across-the-board changes in Michigan.
What they're saying:
"Michigan doesn’t have the right laws; there are bills pending right now. Every city is making mandates," said Morse. "There needs to be some consistency because nobody knows what the law is."
"The world is evolving, and I don’t understand why we haven’t evolved the driver’s education process with all of this," said Hall. "We have to teach them in driver’s ed about what’s currently happening in mobility; they don’t even know about bike lanes. So let’s start implementing more education about what exists now for drivers and non-bike drivers."
Hall said he would also like to see more regulation on e-motorcycles coming from overseas, similar to riding restrictions for mopeds.
Where are e-bikes banned in Michigan?
Calls grow for E-Moto legislation & death penalty debate reignited
Calls have grown louder for the state legislature to regulate E-Motos and E-Bikes. Attorney Mike Morse discusses what he'd like to see done. Plus, after the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee, the debate over the death penalty has been reignited. Emergency Medicine Physician Dr. Anthony Oraha discusses the story from a medical perspective.
Local perspective:
Communities in metro Detroit that have current e-bike bans or ordinances in place:
- Berkley: E-bike and e-moto ban on all sidewalks and at parks. Read more
- Beverly Hills: E-bike ban in all village parks, class 3 e-bikes banned on sidewalks and bikeways. Read more
- Bloomfield Township: 6-month ban on e-bikes and e-scooters for those under 16. Read more
- Dearborn Heights: E-bike ban from city property. Read more
- South Lyon: E-bike ban on sidewalks, downtown and historic districts. Read more
Meanwhile:
Several other communities are considering e-bike bans, and two bills have been introduced in Lansing that would restrict e-bike usage for minors in Michigan:
- Michigan House Bill 6166, which would add new licensing and helmet requirements for teen riders
- Michigan Senate Bill 1156, which would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code by establishing new age restrictions and penalties for e-bike riders
READ MORE: Two bills introduced in Lansing could restrict e-bikes for teens throughout the state
Big picture view:
Across the U.S., other states are beginning to enact additional requirements.
New York state, for example, requires riders of all forms of e-bikes to be at least 16, and New York City imposes additional restrictions, including a 15 mph speed limit. And in California, riders must be at least 16 to use e-bikes that can go up to 28 mph.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from various local municipality ordinances. Background information was taken from the State of Michigan, Jason Hall, a bicycling expert and founder of Slow Roll Detroit, and attorney Mike Morse.