PUBLIC SAFETY: City of MB campaigns for e-bike safety
by Mark McDermott The rider was on what looked like an e-bike and was blasting down Artesia Boulevard when the siren went off. It was a day early in June, and what Manhattan Beach Police Department patrol officers discovered when they began talking to the rider took them by surprise. First, he was 13. Second, his ride wasn’t an e-bike, but an e-motorcycle made by a maker of e-bikes, a brand called Surron. The cycle was meant for off-road use, and so lacked side mirrors mandatory for road use. It was also capable of speeds up to 50 mph and with a few hacks readily available on YouTube even faster. The young rider was cited for being unlicensed. A photo of the e-motorcycle being impounded appeared on MBPD social network feeds on June 5. “Well we tried to warn you,” the post read. “We totally get that electric vehicles are the wave of the future and that everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere. HOWEVER, giving a 13-year-old an electric bike that exceeds 30 mph, that lacks required safety equipment, and a driver without any sort of understanding of the rules of the road is just a recipe for disaster.” Police and city leaders have been working to avoid such a disaster ever since…
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