A bill proposed by Gov. Maura Healey, known as the Ride Safe Act, that would require an annual registration, liability insurance, and an official Massachusetts license plate for electric “bicycles” that are capable of exceeding 30 m.p.h. is long overdue.
These so-called e-bikes have fallen through the cracks of our motor vehicle laws, even though for all intents and purposes they are “motor vehicles.”
When e-bikes first came along, they were regular, pedal-powered bicycles that were equipped with small electric motors. The primary purpose of the e-motors was to provide assistance to bicyclists who were not entirely capable of using regular bicycles, either because of age or some physical limitation, for whom the electric motors gave them a little bit of a boost.
However, as with everything else in life these days, technology soon began to expand the e-bike universe. Today “e-bikes” are capable of reaching speeds of 60 miles per hour.
Gov. Healey’s bill, which resulted from a study that was commissioned in 2024, will regulate e-bikes based on their top speed. Traditional e-bicycles that do not exceed 20 m.p.h. will still be treated like regular bicycles.
Operators of e-bikes with speeds capable of 30 m.p.h. will be required to be at least 16 years of age, must wear helmets, and will be banned from using sidewalks.
The real target of the bill are the e-bikes that are capable of speeds exceeding 30 m.p.h. Owners of these vehicles — which essentially are e-mopeds — will have to comply with the motor vehicle laws regarding insurance, registration, and safety equipment, and will be prohibited from using bike lanes and sidewalks.
We urge our state legislators to pass the governor’s bill as soon as possible. There already have been too many tragedies involving these vehicles, which are becoming increasingly popular — and any delay will only allow more tragedies on our roadways to occur.