E-motos ride circles around Minnesota's e-bike laws
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Some Twin Cities suburbs are raising alarms over electrified bikes and scooters zipping down streets and trails, some of them at illegal speeds.
Why it matters: E-bikes have exploded in popularity, but cycling advocates say education — and regulation about which devices are allowed — hasn't kept up with the boom.
What they're saying: "The technology has outpaced routine and common sense," Eden Prairie Police Chief Matt Sackett told Axios.
The big picture: The most blatant problems stem from "e-motos": mini electric motorcycles that are sometimes marketed as "electric bikes," but can reach almost twice the top e-bike speed — and are illegal in Minnesota without proper permits.
- Many of the violators are young — Sackett's officers have stopped 10- and 12-year-olds riding e-motos. (Kids can't legally ride e-bikes until they're 15.)
By the numbers: E-bikes — what state law calls "electric-assisted bicycles" — top out at 28 mph and must have operable pedals and a motor of 750 watts or less.
- Many e-motos are capable of 50 mph, though some advertise greater speeds, and some are easily modified to go faster, said Matt Moore, the Minneapolis-based policy counsel for the national trade group People For Bikes.
State of play: Suburban governments are taking notice. Edina and Excelsior have enacted helmet requirements for e-bikers under 18 and restricted cycling in their downtowns.
- Eden Prairie, Plymouth and Stillwater police have also issued public alerts about the e-moto/e-bike distinction.
Friction point: Cycling advocates worry that justified concerns about e-motos could lead to unjustified restrictions on e-bikes.
- E-bikes are "taking the heat for e-motos," State Rep. Lucy Rehm (DFL-Chanhassen) told Axios, "and that doesn't seem fair, because e-bikes can really transform how we get around."
The other side: Even some legal e-bikers could use refresher courses on trail etiquette and rules of the road — and advocates acknowledge not all of the issues are from renegade kids popping wheelies.
- Rehm has heard constituent complaints about older e-bikers who perhaps "hadn't ridden a bike in many years — and they're not super careful."
- Yes, but: "The unwritten rules of cycling have been a huge topic even before there were electric bicycles," Moore told Axios.
🌈 PSA: On a shared trail, shouting "on your left!" goes a long way.
What we're watching: Rehm co-authored legislation updating Minnesota's consumer fraud statutes to bar sellers from marketing e-motos as e-bikes — but Moore notes that because many sales take place online, state and federal regulators could do more to enforce them.
- He said some "shot-across-the-bow" litigation against e-moto companies could also go a long way.