Virginia Beach council weighs e‑bike restrictions, education and a task force amid safety concerns

City staff told the Virginia Beach City Council the Commonwealth’s e‑bike law limits local authority and treats most e‑bikes as bicycles while allowing limited exceptions for localities to restrict certain classes on trails and paths. The presentation described enforcement hurdles and asked council how it wanted staff to proceed with local code changes and whether to seek additional authority from the General Assembly.

The council heard from Greg McKenzie, identified in the meeting materials as the benefit of affairs director, who summarized state law, labeling requirements and the three class definitions: “Class 1…motor only works while pedaling…top assisted speed of 20 miles an hour,” “Class 2…contains a throttle,” and “Class 3…the motor only works while pedaling and has a top assisted speed of 28 miles per hour.” He told council the Commonwealth’s code “does provide some, some limited authority to restrict…