The Santa Barbara City Council has updated bike laws to include e-bikes and other electric transportation.
The council voted unanimously to revise existing laws, clarifying definitions for e-bikes and what is considered “unsafe riding.” The new rules classify tricks like wheelies as unsafe when done in “close proximity” to pedestrians and vehicles. Police officers now have discretion to give citations for unsafe riding.
“To thread that needle between ordinance language and effective enforcement is a really difficult thing to do, and I think we’ve come as close as possible with the ordinance that we have before us,” Councilmember Meagan Harmon said.
Fines for unsafe riding start at $100 for a first offense and increase with repeat violations within a year. The costliest fine is $500.
Other rules ban sidewalk riding, require lights at night, and mandate helmets for riders under 18.
City leaders plan to evaluate how the new policies are working at a future meeting.
