Arizona lawmaker wants to make e-bikes slow down on multi-use trails

PHOENIX – An Arizona lawmaker wants to tap the brakes on e-bikes and similar modes of transportation.

Republican state Sen. John Kavanagh introduced a bill to set the speed limit for bicycle paths and multi-use trails at 15 mph. SB 1008 would also require riders to reduce their speed to 5 mph while passing pedestrians.

“It’s not just e-bikes I’m regulating; there are all sorts of motorized contraptions,” Kavanagh told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News. “Technology has gone wild with respect to cheap motorized vehicles. I saw a kid the other day on a motorized skateboard doing about 20 miles an hour.”

If the bill becomes law, local authorities would still be permitted to set lower speed limits on bike paths and multi-use trails.

Why does Arizona Republican want to limit e-bike speed on trails?

“I’m trying to keep pedestrians out of the hospital,” Kavanagh said. “I’m trying to keep the families of kids or even adults who hit them out of civil court because you can be sued if you injure somebody by driving recklessly with one of these things. But stopping injury is the major problem.”

A former police officer, Kavanagh said the speed limits wouldn’t apply to bike lanes on roadways.

“But where pedestrians walk, that’s where I want to have the protection for people,” he said. “Because if you get hit by somebody doing 20 miles an hour on a bike, your body doesn’t know it’s not a car. You’re going to be in serious condition.”

Kavanagh believes that passing the legislation would lead to safer behavior by e-bike riders without significant enforcement efforts.

“If people know it’s illegal, they’ll stop,” he said. “If they didn’t know and a cop stops them and gives them a warning, they probably won’t do it again. So, 90% of the offenses will go away when you actually make it illegal.”

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