Carlsbad commission backs state pilot to bar under‑12 e‑bike riders, votes to seek wider local rules

Carlsbad’s Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission on Tuesday recommended that the City Council opt into a San Diego County pilot program that would allow the city to prohibit children under 12 from operating class 1 and class 2 electric bicycles.

City Manager Jeff Patno opened the commission’s discussion by telling commissioners the item responds to a March 2025 City Council motion and to recent state legislation: “We are here this evening because the California state legislature established an e bike safety pilot program that grants cities in San Diego County the ability to prohibit children under the age of 12 from operating an e bike,” Patno said.

The recommendation is advisory; the commission voted unanimously to forward the endorsement to City Council. The vote followed a presentation from transportation staff and the Carlsbad Police Department summarizing local collision and enforcement data, public outreach and the pilot’s statutory limits.

Nathan Schmidt, Carlsbad’s transportation planning and mobility manager, told the commission AB 2234 “gives cities the option to set a minimum age of 12, for riding class 1 and class 2 e bikes. That age limit is set and specified in the law, and it cannot be lowered or raised locally.” Schmidt emphasized the bill requires a 30‑day education campaign before enforcement starts, 60 days of warning‑only enforcement, and that fines may be waived if a rider completes a safety class. The law also makes parents or guardians responsible for violations and sunsets in 2029.

Carlsbad Police Lieutenant Jason Arnotti described recent enforcement and education work and placed the pilot in context. “Since 02/2022, our officers have issued more than 230 warnings and a 180 citations linked to electric bicycles and electric motorcycles,” Arnotti said, and he noted…