The Lake Elsinore City Council approved an ordinance regulating electric bicycles and other electric mobility devices at its May 12 council meeting, finalizing rules intended to address growing safety concerns surrounding e-bike use.
The ordinance passed unanimously after council members revisited the proposal first introduced April 28 and debated changes related to enforcement and nighttime riding restrictions for minors.
City Attorney Barbara Leibold said the updated ordinance clarifies that Class 3 e-bikes are prohibited on public trails and allows violations to be handled as misdemeanors or administrative citations at the discretion of prosecutors.
Leibold said the city also revised the ordinance to clarify that impoundments connected to arrests would only occur “to preserve evidence or to protect public safety.”
One of the biggest points of discussion involved nighttime riding restrictions for minors.
Staff initially proposed removing language that would prohibit riders younger than 16 from operating e-bikes after dark. Instead, the city would rely on its existing curfew ordinance, which bars minors from public places between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Mayor Pro Tem Tim Sheridan objected to removing the restriction and introduced a motion to restore it.
“My concern here is that a 14-year-old might be out driving an e-bike after dark, and I just don’t think it’s very safe,” Sheridan said. “I just think that children under 16 may not have the experience necessary to be out, during dark, driving these types of vehicles.”
“I’ve got to go along with my colleague on the after dark,” Mayor Bob Magee said. “These young riders are screaming through the neighborhoods and not all of them have lights and not all of them have helmets and it is a safety concern.”
The amendment reinstating the restriction passed unanimously as part of the final ordinance. Under the adopted rules, electric bicycles and other electric mobility devices may only be operated after dark by people 16 and older.
The council also instituted a six-month review of the ordinance after implementation. Over that six-month period, city staff and law enforcement will monitor education programs and enforcement so the council can evaluate if additional changes to the ordinance are needed.
Council Member Brian Tisdale emphasized education and parental involvement as important alongside the ordinance.
“We have a lot of laws in place but a lot of it boils down to parents making sure their kids are doing the right thing,” Tisdale said. “We have a whole education piece in this, and I like the fact that we did that.”
City officials expect education and warnings to play a major role in enforcement.
“i think what we’ll end up seeing is a lot of warnings happening and the school district is here and they’re going to participate in the educational component,” Magee said.
The ordinance will return to the council for a second reading before taking effect 30 days after adoption.
