Safe Routes to School and local police urge caution on e-bikes for young riders

Judy Crocker, statewide coordinator for Massachusetts Safe Routes to School, told a Northborough–Southborough Health Week audience that the mobility and health benefits of biking are clear but that e-bikes raise safety and enforcement challenges—especially for students.

Crocker said national guidance and recent commission work point to concerns for minors: "Their blanket statement is, don't let children 16 ride electric scooters," she said, citing the American Academy of Pediatrics guidance and noting she would "extrapolate that to say also electric bikes." She told the audience that heavier batteries and higher speeds mean young riders must ‘‘relearn how to ride a bike’’ and that those changes increase stopping distances and injury severity.

Ethan Terrell of Landry's Bicycles described the technical differences between device…