e-Bike Safety Advocates

focused on supporting e-Bike Safety Awareness

Colorado e-Bike Safety Awareness Initiative

The CO e-Bike Safety Awareness Initiative is a comprehensive program designed to improve safety, accountability, and awareness for all users of multi-use paths and bike lanes. The program is designed to enhance safety for pedestrians, cyclists, e-Bikers and e-moto users on bike paths, with a special focus on underage riders (<16). It includes an in-person registration system with theft recovery features, an online safety certification covering safety practices, etiquette, and regulations; plus, a uniform signage system equipped with a QR codes to access up-to-date maps of paved, gravel and closed trails plus incident reporting capability.

Why It Matters:

Multi‑use paths are mostly 8 foot wide and were never designed for high-speed, motor-assisted vehicles.
A uniform education and registration approach mirrors the success of Colorado’s driver accreditation system
by establishing accountability and shared understanding among riders/pedestrians.
Building safety culture now reduces future conflicts as e‑mobility expands statewide.

e-Motos are electric mopeds, electric motorcycles, electric dirt bikes and electric Unicycles (powered single wheels) that are much more powerful and faster than any electric bicycle. E-motos may have motors with thousands of watts of power that far exceed the 750 watts allowed for a legal electric bicycle. They are much more powerful and faster than any electric bicycle. *

The Core Initiatives include:

e-Bike Registration: confirms that their e-Bike is legal to use and collects their photo with the e-Bike, contact info, and parents’ info. Registrants will also receive a Police-issued ID sticker for theft recovery (linking serial number and owner data). In 2024, 745 bikes were reported stolen in Boulder (100 more than in 2023). 2024 also saw a rise in the number of e-bikes stolen, and an increasing number of high security chains and U-locks were defeated. **
Safety Awareness Certification: to establish baseline safety knowledge for all underage riders. This will help them better understand the safety etiquette and rules associated with sharing a multi-use path with multitudes of people while riding 15 – 20+ MPH. Upon completion of a simple, 12 question, online test to ensure that we all have the same basic understanding of important basics, they will receive an e-Bike Safety Awareness Certificate (digital and printable), shareable with parents and peers.
Uniform Signage System (on-path): consistent signs throughout metro areas in the Front Range can help lay the foundation for safety preparation for the projected explosive growth in domestic e-bike sales/usage. Each sign is QR code enabled to provide instant access to up-to-date bike maps, gravel trails and trails closed to e-Bikes. In just 7 years, e-Bike sales in the US may nearly quadruple, meaning lots of new riders are coming to Colorado in the coming years (from $1.7M in 2024 to $6.5M in 2030 ***).

The primary reason why our road and driving systems are relatively organized and work well is because all drivers are required to pass the same driver’s exam and test to be gifted permission to use our roads/highways. It’s time to create a similar standard for underage riders to ensure safety for all.

* The E-Bike Problem is an E-Moto Problem | PeopleForBikes

** Bike Bolder

*** eCycle Electric

Image credit to www.sitelinesb.com

e-Bike Registration/Safety Awareness Certification

This program is a voluntary initiative for riders aged 15 and younger without a driver’s license. All kids seek out boundaries and will push things are far as they are allowed. They are definitely testing that boundary of safety by using a motorized e-Bike to go 20+ MPH without a helmet, riding recklessly in a way that frightens seniors. Communities should consider setting boundaries for the younger generation e-Bike usage to ensure that crashes and TBIs do not happen. It helps kids understand and follow standard safety practices and rules of the road that apply to all multi-use path users.

The Registration and Safety Awareness Certification process includes:

Confirmation of which Class of e-Bikes they have – advise which e-Bikes are allowed and not allowed public multi-use paths.
In-person registration of the e-bike, rider, and parent/guardian contact information.
A photo of young riders with their e-bike.
Police-issued ID sticker for theft recovery (linking serial number and owner data).
Installation of a bell on the e-bike (optional).
Confirmation of which paths/trails are closed to any e-Bike or e-moto traffic
Completion of a 12-question online test to ensure understanding of safety rules and etiquette and local regulations (i.e. 15 MPH speed limit)
Receipt of an e-bike Safety Awareness Certificate (digital and printable), shareable with parents and peers.

The goal is to ensure all stakeholders using motorized devices operate with accurate safety information and boundaries for acceptable behavior, enhancing security on bike paths for everyone. This program can help Coloradoans feel more secure on bike paths, especially our seniors.

e-Bike Safety Awareness Signage (on-path)

Implementing uniform, graffiti-proof signage system throughout metropolitan and high-traffic areas in the Front Range is crucial for ensuring coordinated usage of multi-use paths and preparing for the increasing number of participants that are coming. In the future, we envision communities of connected multi-use paths using a similar map structure and sign design for consistency for users; a bikeway version of our existing road signs if you will.

Key aspects of the interactive signage include:

Location: Placed in high-traffic areas, especially where paths are typically 8 ft. wide and were not designed for high-speed motorized traffic.
Clarity: Clear, concise signage with international symbols and specified speed limits for all users (e.g., 15 MPH).
Standardization: Use of a 12” x 18” sign template that can be shared and updated across different communities.
Safety Message: A succinct safety message; for example – A.S.K.:
- Announce when approaching from behind.
- Signal upcoming turns.
- Kindness Matters – Speed limit 15 MPH.
QR Codes: Signs equipped with QR codes linked to a dedicated landing page that features:
- Up-to-date, color-coded bike path maps (showing paved, gravel, street crossings, and areas where e-bikes are prohibited).
- A “Report-an-Incident” form to collect real-time user feedback on incident locations, what happened and contact information (optional).