E-bike restrictions have been popping up in more communities, but that doesn’t mean parents are ready to see the increasingly popular mode of travel banned, according to a new national survey.
In fact, the survey found only about one in 10 parents wants a ban on electric bicycles or e-bikes.
Instead, parents indicate they lack key information that could better inform families about appropriate e-bike use and the types of e-bikes available.
“Parents aren’t saying, ‘get rid of e-bikes.’ They’re saying, ‘Help us figure out how to use them safely,’ ” Sarah Clark, co-director of the Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, said in a news release. “E-bikes have arrived faster than the public guidance around them,
and parents are being asked to make safety decisions without having the information they need.”
The Mott poll of 1,234 parents with at least one child ages 11 to 18 was conducted in July, the release said.
The poll’s results, released on Monday, Sept. 21, come as more communities have restricted or have discussed the possibility of restricting e-bike use following reports of crashes and injuries and complaints from some residents about how e-bikes and faster electric motorcycles, or e-motos, are being used.
Last week, Bloomfield Township trustees, for instance, approved a six-month ban on e-bikes in parts of the township for children younger than 16. That followed a Labor Day crash involving a truck and e-moto that left two 13-year-old boys critically injured. Cycling advocates worry that a patchwork of local ordinances rather than more comprehensive statewide updates to the law will penalize those who use e-bikes responsibly.
Here are some findings from the study:
- “Only 6% of parents rate themselves as very informed about the different types of e-bikes, with 27% somewhat informed and 67% not informed. Nearly half of parents (45%) say they don’t know where e-bikes are supposed to be ridden; other parents believe e-bikes should be in a bike lane (29%), on the sidewalk (11%), at the edge of the road (10%), or in the lane with cars (5%).”
- “Parents see benefits of e-bikes for teens and children: as a source of transportation when a car is not available (50%), fun (49%), getting kids outside and active (45%), giving them some freedom on where to go (35%), and allowing younger kids to keep up with parents/older kids (15%). Parents see the downsides as the risk of injury to the rider (82%) or to pedestrians (62%), drivers not used to e-bikes on the road (56%), batteries catching fire while charging (36%), and e-bikes left on the road/sidewalk (30%).”
- “For a typical teen, 65% of parents rate e-bikes as more dangerous than regular bikes, while 3% think e-bikes are safer and 32% think they are about the same. However, only 36% of parents think e-bikes are more dangerous for teens than driving a car, 20% think e-bikes are safer, and 44% about the same.”
- “For their own community, parents strongly support helmet requirements (80%), labeling that shows the minimum age for different types of e-bikes (68%), clearer marking of where e-bikes should be ridden (63%), requiring age 18 for the most powerful e-bikes (59%), and required safety training (57%). Only 11% of parents strongly support a complete ban on e-bikes.”
E-bikes are categorized by three classes in Michigan. Here’s how a League of Michigan Bicyclists pamphlet lists them:
- A class 1 e-bike can be motor-assisted up to 20 mph when pedaling.
- A class 2 e-bike can also have a throttle to engage the motor without pedaling (also up to 20 mph).
- A class 3 e-bike can be motor-assisted up to 28 mph when pedaling.
All e-bikes must have operable pedals and a seat or saddle, an electric motor of 750 watts or less, be speed limited as listed above and be designed to function as a bicycle.
You have to be at least 14 to operate a class 3 e-bike in Michigan, but a younger person can ride as a passenger on a class 3 e-bike if it’s designed to accommodate passengers.
One of the points of confusion often cited involves the sale of e-bikes and e-motos. Plenty of machines are readily available for sale online marketed as e-bikes that do not fall within the three classes.
Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press, and he also writes about recreational vehicles, boats and bikes. Send your tips and suggestions to elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Poll results show parents want e-bike info, not bans
