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Burlingame council adopts micro-mobility ordinance to restrict e-bikes in parks, keep Bay Trail access
Summary
The Burlingame City Council unanimously adopted a revised micro-mobility ordinance Oct. 7 that prohibits most e-bikes in city parks while preserving use on the San Francisco Bay Trail; councilmembers called for continued outreach and possible future refinements to distinguish lower-powered Class 1 e-bikes.
Burlingame's City Council on Oct. 7 adopted an ordinance regulating electric mobility devices in city parks and on the Bay Trail, voting unanimously after a public comment period and council discussion. Mayor Colson moved to adopt the ordinance; Vice Mayor Stevenson seconded the motion and the roll-call vote was 5'0'0Yes, 0'0No.
Councilmember Papajan said she supported the ordinance but raised enforcement concerns, noting that Class 1 pedal-assist e-bikes (which top out near 20 mph) can be hard to distinguish from regular bicycles and asked staff to monitor how enforcement works in practice. "I will be really interested to see how the enforcement goes and if there's any difficulty in making that distinction," Papajan said.
Several residents and bicycle advocates addressed the council. The city clerk read an email from Mike Swire urging the city to focus enforcement and education on street safety rather than imposing broad park bans; the clerk read Swire's statistics about local crashes and argued for signage and education in parks. Matt Jones, advocacy director for the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition, thanked the council for amending the draft to preserve Bay Trail access and urged the city to consider carving out Class 1 e-bikes and investing in education and infrastructure: "We believe we can encourage biking while also addressing concerns about conflict between e-bikes and pedestrians," he said.
Vice Mayor Stevenson described the policy as a public-safety measure, not a ban, and said the council should treat e-bikes the same way it treats bicycles in parks. Councilmembers directed staff to work with partners and community groups on outreach and to share educational materials through the city's e-newsletter.
The ordinance text adopted at second reading adds a new chapter on electronic mobility devices to the municipal code. The city did not specify immediate enforcement thresholds or civil penalties beyond existing code references; staff said they will return with implementation details and outreach plans.
