US Senate · Wired
New Jersey’s New Ebike Law Is Causing Chaos
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In January, outgoing New Jersey governor Pat Murphy signed a first-in-the-nation bill that sought to make roads safer for everyone.
Key facts
- It’s hard to play catch-up.” The New Jersey E-Bike Coalition, which formed in response to this law, says 37 bike shops have closed statewide
- In January, outgoing New Jersey governor Pat Murphy signed a first-in-the-nation bill that sought to make roads safer for everyone
- S-4834, passed by a wide bipartisan margin and sponsored by state Senate president Nick Scutari, was motivated by the “dramatic increase” in ebike use, which “created greater dangers
- They have vilified ebikes,” says Scott Chambers, owner of Zippy’s Bikes in Wildwood, New Jersey
Summary
S-4834, passed by a wide bipartisan margin and sponsored by state Senate president Nick Scutari, was motivated by the “dramatic increase” in ebike use, which “created greater dangers for their operators, other motorists, and pedestrians,” Scutari wrote in a statement. The new law requires anyone who owns and rides a bike with pedal-assist tech or a throttle to be at least 15 years old and to have a license, either a driver’s license or a motorized bicycle license. (Riders can receive a stand-alone motorized bicycle only after passing a road test.) Riders must register their ebikes with the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC), and anyone on a bike that can travel faster than 20 mph must have insurance.
“They have vilified ebikes,” says Scott Chambers, owner of Zippy’s Bikes in Wildwood, New Jersey.