Belvedere to ban throttle e-bikes for kids

Belvedere will ban riders under age 16 from using throttle-assisted e-bikes starting in July, joining Tiburon and other Marin municipalities in a countywide pilot program meant to make trails and roads safer for all riders.

The City Council voted unanimously May 12 to establish an ordinance with the age restriction and a rule requiring all legal riders of throttle-assisted bikes to wear helmets. Councilmembers will conduct their second, required vote for adoption at their June 9 meeting.

“I’m really pleased that Belvedere’s joining the rest of the county in this effort,” Mayor Jane Cooper said. “It’s, I think, keeping children safe and keeping community members safe. We’ve heard a lot about it from the community and the concern with the e-bike riders being a little bit wild.”

The county-specific pilot program runs through 2029 under Assembly Bill 1778, authored by Assemblymember Damon Connolly, D-San Rafael, and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year.

The Marin Board of Supervisors in March voted to implement the same age-restriction and helmet rules on throttle-assisted Class 2 e-bikes — which can reach speeds of 20 mph without pedaling, though easily accessible hacks allow them to travel significantly faster — in unincorporated areas, including Strawberry and Paradise Cay.

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