Added safety is aim of new e-bike legislation

Carol Hoppe, a member of the Wednesday evening Walking Club organized by the Eden Prairie Senior Center, says she hasn’t experienced any problems with electric bikes while walking local trails.

A number of bicycling enthusiasts and government officials, including a state legislator, are working to keep it that way.

Heavier and often faster than the bicycles many people grew up with, e-bikes are growing in popularity. And regulations governing their use are catching up, with a focus on the safety of pedestrians and others who share trails with e-bike riders.

This past session, the Minnesota Legislature approved a number of measures related to e-bikes, prompting a national bike-safety organization known as People for Bikes to describe Minnesota as being “at the leading edge of bicycle safety in the nation.”

Included in the new legislation were:

• Updates to the legal definition of an “electric-assisted bicycle” to more accurately define what is not an electric-assisted bicycle – such as those that can exceed lawful limits on speed or power. That will help keep the fastest e-bikes off trails that are shared with pedestrians.
• A new requirement that safety training in public schools extend to electric-bike safety, including that a person under 15 is not allowed to operate an electric-assisted bicycle.
• A definition of a “vulnerable road user” that includes pedestrians using bikeways, trails and sidewalks in that group. Driver education training and driver education manuals must now include a section on safety regarding vulnerable road users.
• Requirements that sellers of e-bikes disclose product details, including maximum motor power and maximum speed of the bike being sold.

Angela Olson, deputy director of the Bicycling Alliance of Minnesota, said the new requirements approved last session make up “the most comprehensive e-bike legislation in the country.”

But state Rep. Lucy Rehm (DFL-48B, Chanhassen), who helped sponsor the e-bike legislation, said there’s more that can be done to accommodate growing e-bike use while keeping roads and trails safe for all.

“I wouldn’t rest there,” Rehm said about this year’s work. “I think we have a long way to go to make our streets and communities safer.”

Just what is an e-bike?

Electric bikes – more commonly called e-bikes – look a lot like traditional bikes except they have a battery and small electric motor that help you pedal faster and farther. Some e-bikes give you a boost only when you pedal; others have a throttle button that helps you even when not pedaling.

E-bikes are categorized as Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3, depending on whether they have a throttle and whether they provide a boost up to 20 or 28 mph.

Experts say e-bikes are 10 to 20 pounds heavier than their non-electric counterparts. But it’s important to recognize that all bikes – traditional and newer e-bikes – come in different sizes and weights and can reach different speeds.

According to Rick Vosper of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, e-bikes are steadily gaining market share, from 2 percent in 2016 to more than 18 percent in 2023.

However, estimates of the e-bike market’s size vary. The United States e-bike market size reached $943.3 million in 2023, according to the International Market Analysis Research and Consulting Group (IMARC Group). Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach $2.338 billion by 2032. But another firm, Expert Market Research, put the size of the e-bike market in 2023 at $1.64 billion and forecast it to increase to $3.95 billion by 2032.

Currently, state law allows e-bike riders to use bike paths, bike trails or shared-use trails unless the local authority or state agency having jurisdiction prohibits them. Eden Prairie does not prohibit their use on trails and paths. Signs along trails say, “Motorized vehicles are not allowed,” but e-bikes are not classified as motorized vehicles, such as mopeds, motorcycles, cars and all-terrain vehicles.

Parks director Amy Markle said Eden Prairie’s approach is to watch for bikers riding in an unsafe manner – such as going excessively fast or ignoring traffic signs – and to encourage all bikers to follow basic biking etiquette, such as riding at a safe speed, passing on the left and announcing one’s presence by voice or a bell when passing.

Three Rivers Park District, which operates Bryant Lake Regional Park in Eden Prairie, tries to prevent bike-pedestrian conflicts on its trails by encouraging separation. Its rules state that it’s unlawful to “operate any type of bicycle except as close to the right-hand side of the authorized trail or roadway as conditions permit, or to cross to the left of a solid yellow centerline.”

Federal agency looking at rules

While data on accidents involving e-bikes is hard to come by, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recently took public comments after announcing it will consider making rules to reduce the risk of injuries associated with e-bikes.

The independent federal regulatory agency authored a September 2023 report that estimated 53,100 injuries associated with riding e-bikes between 2017 and 2022 in the United States. The report said the number of e-bike-related injuries treated in emergency rooms increased from 3,538 to 24,335 over those five years. There were 100 fatalities over the period. Causes of death varied but included collisions with motor vehicles and pedestrians.

This is why the statewide nonprofit Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, also known as BikeMN, makes safety education a part of its mission and helped incorporate additional safety training into the 2024 legislation, according to its deputy director.

“It’s really a lot about behavior and how people are acting on the road,” said Olson of BikeMN.

She and Rehm agree that cities may need to better design their shared infrastructure – including suburban trails – perhaps with more signage about regulations and behavior.

Biking “should not pose a danger to other people,” explained Rehm, who sees e-bikes as a green alternative to local car travel.

 “There might need to be more education,” she added.

The Walking Club’s Hoppe wonders if e-bikes will eventually pose a problem, but she said things will probably be fine as long as everyone is on their best behavior.

“The only thing I can say is that it’s nice when bikers coming up from behind you will call out and alert you that they are coming,” she said. “And that does not seem to be the case very often.”