Local officials address e-bike issue, but more work remains
E-bikes have become a common sight in Menifee -- not always under the best of circumstances. (Stock photo) By Doug Spoon, Editor Local offi...
http://www.menifee247.com/2025/09/local-officials-address-e-bike-issue-but-more-work-remains.html
By Doug Spoon, Editor
Local officials admit it’s an ongoing process, but they say efforts are increasing to better educate e-bike riders, enforce traffic laws related to them, and remove from circulation e-bikes that are not street legal.
Chase Coburn, community engagement specialist for the Menifee Police Department, said officers are being “more proactive in our attempts to detain and issue citations for these unsafe riding practices.” Menifee PD is being more aggressive in enforcing an ordinance passed by the City Council in February that can result in fines of up to $500 for improper e-bike use.
“There has been an increase in the amount of people riding legal e-bikes (Class 1, Class 2, Class 3) who are riding recklessly,” Coburn said. “Examples would be unsafely riding in the roadway, riding too fast on sidewalks, and not yielding to pedestrians or riding wheelies on the sidewalks and in the streets.”
Menifee PD recently conducted its first school enforcement operation addressing the use of Surron bikes and modified bikes that are not street legal because of excessive speeds or off-road equipment. Officers impounded several bikes that are not street legal on the campus of Paloma Valley High School, and Coburn said similar operations will be scheduled at other local schools.
“Additionally, PD personnel of all ranks have engaged in conversations with youth and parents about safe and responsible e-bike use,” Coburn said. At the City of Menifee’s Independence Day Celebration, a Menifee PD booth distributed pamphlets on e-bike safety. At the National Night Out police event in August, the PD partnered with the Rotary Club to host a game truck that children could access after completing an online bike and e-bike safety quiz.
On Aug. 9, Menifee PD hosted a bike and e-bike safety event at City Hall. Officers also took part in a bike event sponsored by Menifee Union School District.
The MUSD-sponsored bike event on Sept. 13 did not focus on e-bikes, but Director of Communications Devina Ortega said educational efforts regarding e-bikes at local schools is ongoing. In the Romoland School District, Communications Coordinator Madison Arreola said, “Our School Resource Officer provides e-bike safety training to students as part of our ongoing efforts to promote safe practices in our community.”
Shanna Egans, assistant superintendent of educational services at Perris Union High School District, said the district has undertaken an initiative to promote safety and establish guidelines at all school sites.
“We developed and submitted an E-Bike Use and Safety Policy to the Perris Union High School Board of Education, addressing the increasing use of e-bikes,” Egans said. “Key elements of the policy include age-appropriate use guidelines, helmet and safety gear requirements, and rules regarding use on school campuses. The policy is aligned with state regulations and local enforcement capabilities and developed in consultation with legal counsel, school officials, and law enforcement agencies.
“To support the new policy and promote safe riding, colorful and engaging posters and flyers featuring e-bike safety tips, legal requirements, and local rules are being created. These materials will be distributed to all schools and potentially to community centers, libraries, and local businesses. We will develop a digital campaign for all of our active social media platforms.
“Lastly, to ensure consistent messaging, enforcement, and support, multiple meetings were held with key agencies. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and the Menifee Police Department discussed enforcement priorities and strategies near schools and developed strategies for community education and youth outreach. We met with Riverside County’s Third District Supervisor, Chuck Washington, to discuss his pending county ordinance regarding e-bikes.”
Robert Hennings, superintendent of Santa Rosa Academy, said only “five or six” e-bikes are ridden to the SRA campus, but added he has seen plenty of unsafe e-bike behavior in local neighborhoods.
“I am not aware of SRA students ever being involved in unsafe e-bike behaviors and am not aware of any illegal e-bikes associated with SRA students,” he said. “We currently do not have our own e-bike safety program but are open to partnering with our local agencies, like we do for teen safe driving with Menifee Police.”
A local student who asked to remain anonymous added the perspective of a teenage driver in Menifee.
“I am a student who drives to school and I do certainly recognize the dangers with e-bike riders, with some blatantly not following traffic laws,” they said. “They need to recognize they are just as entitled to the traffic laws as us, and if we hit them, THEY will be in the wrong (assuming they weren’t following traffic laws).
“However, growing up, I’ve heard the term that kids don’t go outside anymore. In a country like America, everything is so spread apart that you almost NEED a car to survive for your job, groceries, etc. E-bikes are just another form of transport … that can enable kids to go out and be kids. It is very rare to see anyone walk to get groceries or to go clock in at work.”
Other factors in the increase in kids riding e-bikes to school are the lack of bus transportation for the majority of students and the expense of driving a car to school. Renee Glosecki is the mother of two students who take the bus to and from Heritage High School because they live more than five miles from campus.
“As a parent of two Heritage Students, I can say that the school is doing their part by enforcing registration of e-bikes on campus,” she said. “They are a necessity, frankly, because school start times are so late and so many kiddos do not qualify by distance for bus service.
“My kids have said that after school it's wild because the e-bikes are leaving while cars are leaving, and they have witnessed some near misses with cars and e-bikes because kids are weaving in and out of the vehicle traffic. Most kids wear helmets, but not all.
“The [student] parking lot for the kids is nearly empty. Lots of juniors and seniors (mine included) don't drive because it's so expensive, and that's why some of my kids’ friends ride. It's cheaper than a car, gas and insurance.”
Kids doing wheelies on busy streets have drawn complaints from Menifee motorists. (Stock photo)
Some cities have introduced ordinances prohibiting e-bikes on pedestrian walkways and sidewalks, which forces e-bikes onto local street traffic and bike lanes. That wouldn’t be so bad if e-bikers obeyed traffic laws, but in many cases that isn’t happening.
“I have seen in my own residential neighborhood some dangerous behaviors on e-bikes such as playing chicken with cars, doing wheelies, or swerving in and out of traffic,” said Santa Rosa Academy’s Robert Hennings. “On one hand, it has some similarity from growing up in the 70s and 80s hopping curbs, jumping driveways, and diving down steep hills on a stingray or BMX bike. But on the other hand, the power and speed of an e-bike adds a much higher degree of risk and potential for more serious injury.”
Laz Peterson, a member of the Menifee Parks, Recreation and Trails Commission, is a father of five who spends a lot of time at local parks for recreational events. He said he has seen countless near misses and examples of poor behavior on e-bikes, especially in parks. He maintains that much more work needs to be done to increase safety and awareness of the problem.
“My personal feeling is that no e-bike should be allowed on a pedestrian walkway, nor should they be allowed in any parks in our city, besides from the legal bike lanes or streets to a parking location,” Peterson said. “And the most important item of all, I do not believe there is any reason why anyone without a class M drivers license should be allowed to operate one of these vehicles. It is absolutely absurd that these children are riding such powerful vehicles that should only be reserved for those who are mature and educated enough to have the capacity to operate them.
“The e-bike riders who obey the laws, respect pedestrians and understand how to properly operate a motor vehicle are not the issue. It is the people (mainly minors) that willfully choose to operate their e-bike recklessly and disrespectfully that are the problem.
“I also know that many parents of juvenile e-bike riders think it is absurd to have them riding in the bike lane or on the street, as we were always taught when I was young. After speaking with some of our city management, I think the sentiment is to avoid the backlash they’ll get for adopting an ordinance similar to other cities.”
Some cities have introduced ordinances prohibiting e-bikes on pedestrian walkways and sidewalks, which forces e-bikes onto local street traffic and bike lanes. That wouldn’t be so bad if e-bikers obeyed traffic laws, but in many cases that isn’t happening.
“I have seen in my own residential neighborhood some dangerous behaviors on e-bikes such as playing chicken with cars, doing wheelies, or swerving in and out of traffic,” said Santa Rosa Academy’s Robert Hennings. “On one hand, it has some similarity from growing up in the 70s and 80s hopping curbs, jumping driveways, and diving down steep hills on a stingray or BMX bike. But on the other hand, the power and speed of an e-bike adds a much higher degree of risk and potential for more serious injury.”
Laz Peterson, a member of the Menifee Parks, Recreation and Trails Commission, is a father of five who spends a lot of time at local parks for recreational events. He said he has seen countless near misses and examples of poor behavior on e-bikes, especially in parks. He maintains that much more work needs to be done to increase safety and awareness of the problem.
“My personal feeling is that no e-bike should be allowed on a pedestrian walkway, nor should they be allowed in any parks in our city, besides from the legal bike lanes or streets to a parking location,” Peterson said. “And the most important item of all, I do not believe there is any reason why anyone without a class M drivers license should be allowed to operate one of these vehicles. It is absolutely absurd that these children are riding such powerful vehicles that should only be reserved for those who are mature and educated enough to have the capacity to operate them.
“The e-bike riders who obey the laws, respect pedestrians and understand how to properly operate a motor vehicle are not the issue. It is the people (mainly minors) that willfully choose to operate their e-bike recklessly and disrespectfully that are the problem.
“I also know that many parents of juvenile e-bike riders think it is absurd to have them riding in the bike lane or on the street, as we were always taught when I was young. After speaking with some of our city management, I think the sentiment is to avoid the backlash they’ll get for adopting an ordinance similar to other cities.”
