On March 25, the Marin County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ban type two e-bikes for people under the age of 16. The law is waiting for a second vote, but the board plans to begin enforcement on July 1 of this year.
Many underclassmen will be forced to rethink their ride because they are too young to drive and live too far away to walk. This results in many students relying on throttle-powered bikes to get around town.
Freshman Enzo Doffo owns a type two e-bike that he will not be able to ride after the law is put into place.
“I use [my e-bike] to get around everywhere, so it would be pretty difficult without it,” Doffo said.
The law specifically bans type two e-bikes, meaning any e-bike with a throttle, for anyone under 16 years old. Some students feel this law is unfair as it allows pedal-assist, or type one, e-bikes but bans throttle e-bikes, despite their classifications having the same speed and watt limitations.
“If it’s that big of a deal, they should just ban e-bikes as a whole because they are still allowing pedal assist, so I feel it’s unfair,” said Doffo.
The average cost of a general e-bike is $2,000, according to REI. This makes buying a new type one e-bike pricey and not an option for many students.
Freshman Alex Gharakhanian, who has been riding his type two Aventon Aventure e-bike since the beginning of the school year, gives some insight into what caused this ban.
“Some bikes, such as Super 73s [a popular type two e-bike brand in Marin], have easy workarounds for the speed limiter,” Gharakhanian said.
This can allow students who ride these e-bikes to reach speeds past the limit of 20 miles per hour, making them dangerous for the riders and pedestrians on the road or bike paths.
This leaves many students in a predicament about how they will get to school.
“I think some will probably keep riding [type two e-bikes],” Gharakhanian said, “I’m planning on switching back to my normal bike.”
As the countdown begins toward July 1, underclassmen are faced with difficult options. Students will be forced to either sell their type two e-bikes, keep them unused to ride once again when they turn 16, or even use them against the law.
