"E-bike safety advocates like myself have long warned about "bikelash": the predictable backlash that occurs when policymakers misdiagnose the e-moto problem as an e-bike problem. The recently enacted - and extraordinarily restrictive - New Jersey law is a textbook example of bikelash unleashed. It is also a case study in legislative malpractice. The law was reportedly triggered by the tragic death of a 13-year-old riding what was described as an "e-bike" in a collision with a truck in Scotch Plains, New Jersey."
"Under the hastily enacted law, New Jersey now effectively treats all e-bikes as motorcycles. It imposes a minimum riding age of 15 and requires licensing and registration. If actually enforced, the law will inevitably discourage lawful e-bike use, push riders back into cars, and increase congestion, pollution, and - perversely - traffic fatalities. Before other states rush to follow New Jersey down this path, it is worth recalling a basic principle from medicine: "diagnose before prescribing.""
Advocates identify "bikelash" as backlash when policymakers misidentify e-moto incidents as e-bike problems. New Jersey replaced the three-class e-bike framework with a restrictive regime that treats e-bikes as motorcycles, sets a minimum riding age of 15, and requires licensing and registration. The law may discourage lawful e-bike use and shift riders back into cars, increasing congestion, pollution, and traffic fatalities. Public-records and AI analysis of the crash that prompted the law identified the vehicle as an Ebox V2, and the manufacturer confirmed that identification in writing.
Read at Streetsblog
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