Riding Into Regulation

Alesha Paramasivum • January 15, 2025

Electric bikes – the neighborhood plague or an overworked parent’s salvation? With their new restrictions on e-bikes, or bicycles with a motor, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council has attempted to reach a fine balance between both arguments, weighing the interests of both the e-bikers and their surrounding community.

Recent years have brought a noticeable increase in e-bike usage in Palos Verdes, as its motor ensures that a person does not have to physically pedal. With the steep hills of Palos Verdes, this function is especially convenient. A stroll through the Promenade mall finds middle schoolers practicing stunts down the main strip, and a walk through Peninsula’s school gates sees at least three e-bikes locked into the bike racks. It is easy, fun and convenient for parents who are unable to drive their child to and from school or extracurriculars. It also offers pre-teens and teens more independence. But despite their appeal, many in the community have expressed concerns with the e-bike’s soaring popularity. Senior Suhani Parekh, who has been using her e-bike regularly for the past three years, offers her thoughts on the situation.

“[My e-bike] is easier to use than a regular bike [due to] the convenience of [having] the bike pedal instead of trying to bike [manually] on [RPV’s steep hills],” Parekh said. “[However,] many e-bikers use their bikes irresponsibly. They [practice] wheelies in privately owned parking lots with busy traffic; some of them don’t abide by laws and walk their bike on crosswalks; [and others] try to squeeze [between] walking [pedestrians], almost hitting them.”

Until the week of Nov. 4, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council had restricted e-bike operations to solely sidewalks, streets and bike paths, prohibiting them from hiking trails, fire break roads, city parks, beaches and recreational facilities (Palos Verdes Peninsula News). However, grievances roused by the increasing presence of e-bikes led to the tightening of these restrictions. Now, in addition to the previous prohibitions, Rancho Palos Verdes e-bikers cannot ride on streets or sidewalks–leaving only the bike paths open to use (Palos Verdes Peninsula News). Violators of this policy will receive a warning for their first offense, followed by fines starting at $500 (Daily Breeze). As a holder of a driver’s license for two years, senior Nalani Morris explains her discomfort with the policy.

“[It’s] a bit too strict,” Morris said. “E-bikers should still be able to ride on the road because for some people it’s their only mode of transportation. But I think [the ways] people are able to obtain e-bikes or ride an e-bike is what should be restricted. One should be required to hold an e-bike permit or license [because] it’s [not] the e-bike that’s necessarily dangerous, it’s more [related to] who is controlling the e-bike.”

However, the City Council has made clear that the threat of the restrictive policies are intended as a last resort (Daily Breeze). To avoid straining the capacities of its law enforcement, RPV will launch an awareness campaign to clarify safety guidelines and road etiquette for e-bikers within middle and high schools (Palos Verdes Peninsula News). Ridgecrest Intermediate School has already expressed support for the campaign, launching an ‘e-bike sticker’ pilot program. In order to park their bikes on school grounds, students must first complete an e-bike safety training course and earn a sticker of completion (Palos Verdes Peninsula News). Kieran Paramasivum, a seventh grader at Ridgecrest, gives his thoughts on the program’s impacts.

“[E-bikers] take a test [administered by Ridgecrest] and if they pass, they’re able to park at school,” Paramasivum said. “I think at first kids did not take the test seriously, because I did not see any change in the amount of irresponsible biking. However, I think that either the test’s awareness goals reached the students or the students faced consequences from administration, because a few months after the test’s implementation the amount of irresponsible biking drastically decreased.”

Ultimately, the new policy will likely remain controversial. Families will have to find an alternative means of transportation and children will mourn the blow to their independence, while the surrounding neighborhood will gain a reprieve from the hazard and disturbance of reckless bikers. However, if the city can improve their efforts to educate and teach road safety and courtesy to e-bikers, the new policy has the potential to guide the RPV community intofostering a safe and respectful road environment.