San Mateo County cities will soon be able to keep young children off e-bikes. AB 2595, the San Mateo Electric Bicycle Safety Pilot Program by Assemblymember Diane Papan, D-San Mateo, was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and chaptered on Sept. 30. On Oct. 28, Papan held a press conference in Burlingame's Washington Park with councilmembers from six cities who said they want to use it, the San Mateo Daily Journal reported.
What the law allows
- Any city in San Mateo County, or the county for unincorporated areas, can pass an ordinance or resolution barring anyone under 12 from riding a Class 1 or Class 2 e-bike. Those are the bikes whose motors stop helping at 20 mph.
- For the first 60 days after a city adopts the rule, violators get a warning notice. After that the fine is $25.
- A parent or guardian can be held jointly liable for the fine. A young rider can avoid the fee by completing an e-bike safety course, according to the bill summary.
- The county must run public outreach and report enforcement, traffic stop and crash data to the Legislature. The pilot ends Jan. 1, 2031.
Councils and the Board of Supervisors can opt in starting Jan. 1, 2027, the Daily Journal reported. Speakers at the event included councilmembers from South San Francisco, Burlingame, Hillsborough, Millbrae, San Mateo, San Carlos and Foster City.
Why San Mateo County
Papan proposed the pilot after two young children in the county died in crashes involving e-bikes and e-motorcycles, CalMatters reported. In one, last year in Burlingame, an SUV driver first hit an 11-year-old on an e-bike, then fatally struck 4-year-old Ayden Fang on a nearby sidewalk. Newsom signed similar pilot laws for San Diego and Marin counties in 2024. California has no minimum age for most e-bikes, but riders of the fastest Class 3 bikes must be at least 16.
CalMatters cited a UC San Diego study that found e-bike collisions in the state, especially among riders 14 and younger, are rising quickly: two incidents in 2018, compared with 1,566 in 2024.