E-bike riders on La Jolla sidewalks face a new 10 mph speed limit starting Jan. 1 under one of three California safety laws shaped in part by UC San Diego research documenting a sharp rise in collisions statewide.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the three bills Sept. 30, as first reported by iNewsource. The laws add sidewalk speed limits, tighten rules on what can legally be sold as an electric bicycle and create a new youth age-restriction pilot. Lawmakers cited a UC San Diego study, published in July, that found reported e-bike collisions in California jumped from two in 2018 to 1,506 in 2024.
San Diego is already enforcing its own local e-bike age restrictions, with citations for violations beginning Oct. 12. That local pilot specifically targeted coastal communities including La Jolla, Carlsbad and Encinitas.
What the laws do
Assembly Bill 2346, authored by Assemblymembers Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) and Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto), sets a default 10 mph speed limit for e-bikes ridden on sidewalks. It also lets local governments set speed limits between 10 and 20 mph on bike paths and multiuse trails. Starting Jan. 1, 2029, Class 2 e-bikes must include a speedometer, and all e-bikes must have front and rear lights. Retailers will be required to disclose each e-bike's class, maximum speed and any age restrictions.
Senate Bill 1167, authored by Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas), bars electric devices capable of exceeding 20 mph by throttle or 28 mph with pedal assist from being sold as e-bikes. Those devices must instead be classified as mopeds or motor-driven cycles. The law also requires law enforcement to distinguish between types of electric vehicles in crash reports. SB 1167 passed the Legislature with no votes in opposition.
Assembly Bill 2595, authored by Assemblymember Diane Papan (D-San Mateo), creates a San Mateo County pilot program banning children under 12 from riding Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes from 2027 through 2031. Parents or guardians of underage riders face $25 fines. The program mirrors similar pilots already approved in San Diego and Marin counties.
UCSD research behind the push
The UC San Diego study, published July 17 in the journal Trauma Surgery and Acute Care Open, analyzed 4,035 e-bike collisions and 58,332 traditional bicycle collisions statewide. It found that 15.6% of injured e-bike riders were 14 or younger, compared with 10.2% of traditional bicycle crash victims. Moderate-to-severe injuries were more common among e-bike riders, and researchers observed a significant increase in e-bike-related deaths in 2024.
"E-bikes provide valuable transportation and recreational benefits, but their higher speeds can generate crash forces more comparable to motorcycles than traditional bicycles, leading to potentially severe injuries," Dr. John Austin, the study's lead author and a general surgery resident at UC San Diego School of Medicine, said when the study was released.
Local impact
The data hits close to home. Rady Children's Hospital saw pediatric e-bike trauma cases rise from three in 2021 to 262 in 2025, making e-bikes the largest cause of injury for trauma visits that year, according to Times of San Diego. In 2024, San Diego County hospitals recorded 865 emergency department visits and 186 hospitalizations tied to e-bike accidents, NBC San Diego reported.
A study cited by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors found that nearly 88% of electric devices surveyed at selected middle and high school bike racks were illegal e-motorcycles, not legal e-bikes. The board voted 4-1 on Sept. 15 to direct county counsel to investigate legal action against manufacturers and retailers marketing overpowered electric motorcycles as e-bikes.
The statewide sidewalk speed limit and SB 1167's classification rules take effect Jan. 1, 2027. Residents can report e-bike safety concerns to the San Diego Police Department's Northern Division.
