Senator Nick Collins and witnesses urged the Joint Committee on Transportation to support Senate Bill 2347, a package of transportation safety proposals that would increase penalties for illegal or dangerous operation of motorized bicycles, scooters, electric bicycles and mopeds and require additional oversight and community engagement when constructing bike lanes.

"This legislation seeks to strengthen regulations and increase accountability for motorized bicycles, scooters, e bikes, and mopeds with the goal of protecting public safety throughout the Commonwealth," Senator Nick Collins told the committee. Collins said commercial delivery growth has contributed to an increase in erratic and unsafe operation and that some of these vehicles operate without license, registration or insurance.

The bill would raise fines under chapter 90 for successive offenses, require insurance for motorized bicycles and mopeds used commercially, and create a task force to coordinate enforcement and updated "rules of the road" in consultation with the Department of Transportation and public safety officials. Collins also proposed requiring a public hearing before construction of new bike lanes and approval from a local disabilities commission or MassAbility to ensure ADA‑compliant designs.

James Ellen Fox, a criminologist and resident of the South End of Boston, described multiple incidents in which cyclists and scooter riders violated signals and used sidewalks or wrong‑way lanes, posing danger to pedestrians. Fox, who is legally blind, recounted being struck by a bicyclist who ran a red light and urged licensing, testing and liability insurance for bicyclists: "Those who fail to do so should absolutely be ticketed, and I fully support the graduated fines with successive violations that's proposed in Senate Bill 23 47." (Professor James Ellen Fox)

Disability advocates supported the bill's accessibility provisions. Jill Suarez, an orientation and mobility instructor at the Carroll Center for the Blind, said she often intervenes to protect visually impaired clients from scooters and bikes that ignore crosswalk signals: "A person cannot hear that oncoming scooter or bike and chances are they can't see them either. I urge you to please support this bill." (Jill Suarez)

Supporters from infrastructure and planning circles also testified. Representatives of Pedal Safe Boston and business owners working on bike‑lane planning emphasized the need for transparent planning, data‑driven design and community input.

Why it matters: witnesses tied the bill to pedestrian safety, ADA compliance and the need to adapt enforcement and infrastructure planning to new modes of micro‑mobility. Proponents said the measure balances encouragement of cycling infrastructure with requirements to protect pedestrians and people with disabilities.

The committee did not take a vote. Supporters asked for a favorable report and for further work to refine enforcement and insurance requirements.