VISTA — Sirens are not the only warning signs Vista officials are seeing as electric bikes surge through city streets, as collisions, injuries, close calls and anger are piling up.
Councilman Dan O’Donnell held a Town Hall on Sunday at the Vista Civic Center to discuss the issue, one he said is just behind homelessness in the amount of correspondence he receives from frustrated residents.
Like elsewhere, reckless riding, collisions, illegal vehicles, and others have created challenges for the city and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. Vista doesn’t have an e-bike ordinance, while O’Donnell said he doesn’t support an age-based ban, as there are other tools for the city and law enforcement to use to change behavior for kids and parents.
He said there are more than a dozen proposed bills in the state Legislature covering a range of issues regarding e-bikes.
Currently, Carlsbad, San Marcos, Poway, Coronado, Chula Vista, Santee, and La Mesa have all joined a pilot program under Assembly Bill 2234, which was authored by Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner. The program runs until Jan. 1, 2029.
“I wanted to have a discussion because I’ve received a lot of complaints from here in Vista and surrounding communities,” O’Donnell said. “I know there’s been thoughts about trying to mirror what Carlsbad and Oceanside have done. I’m not on board with that. I don’t believe it’s an effective way to ban the age at which someone can ride and when they can’t.
Vista Fire Chief Gerard Washington said incident data…
