On Tuesday, the San Marcos City Council voted to ban children under 12 from riding e-bikes — becoming the first city along the 78 corridor to adopt the restriction, made possible by a state pilot program.
The decision is part of the city’s new “Ride Right” campaign, aimed at tackling growing safety concerns. The effort includes:
Partnering with schools, the Sheriff’s Department, and parent groups for on-campus safety events
Boosting enforcement and safety training across the city
Installing new signs prohibiting e-bikes on sidewalks in business districts
The move follows AB 2234, a state law that took effect Jan. 1 allowing San Diego County cities to set a minimum age of 12 for e-bike riders. Cities can’t raise the age higher, but Class 3 e-bikes — which can reach 28 miles an hour — still require riders to be at least 16.
While San Marcos has seen fewer e-bike crashes than other cities, concerns are rising. Since last year, e-bikes have been involved in nearly four times as many injury collisions as regular bikes, and two-thirds of those crashes involved riders under 18.
For now, the focus will be on warnings rather than tickets, as the city works to educate families and riders.
The law takes effect immediately.
