Panel: many school‑parked devices are illegal “e‑motorcycles”; schools and deputies urged to ban throttles and enforce laws

At a Certino Safe Routes to School presentation, presenters warned that a large share of electric two‑wheelers seen at local schools are not legal ebikes but overpowered electric motorcycles requiring motor‑vehicle licensing and registration.

Bob Middle of eBike Access, who helped count devices at Bay Area schools, described the legal threshold most jurisdictions use: about 750 watts and a top assisted speed of 20 miles per hour. "If it's too fast it's not an ebike," he said, adding that many popular models are shipped with speed governors set to 20 mph but can be unlocked via codes or apps to reach 35–50 mph. He said those unlocked devices are "not a lawful ebike; that is an electric motorcycle." The panel illustrated how some sellers include removable or misleading labels and how retailers and manufacturers market these higher‑power devices as bicycles.

Gwen Furrow, program director of Marin Safe Routes to School, said the problem is forcing schools to adopt simple, enforceable rules. She described measures Marin and other districts use, including outright bans on throttle devices at middle‑school campuses. "If your teen doesn't have the maturity to know to put a helmet on their head, they should not be given an ebike. Period," Furrow said, urging parents to favor pedal‑assist class‑1 bikes over throttle models.

Public‑health and law‑enforcement officials on the panel said they are working to measure the problem and to strengthen enforcement. Alisa Campbell of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department described county counts at 20 schools and a new Bay Area ebike injury surveillance working group to improve collision and hospital reporting. Sergeant Alan Slaw and Deputy Michael Reteria of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said a juvenile diversion program that pairs citations with parent‑student education will launch before the summer break; "our goal is to start this prior to our youth going out into the summer world," Reteria said. Deputies said enforcement will initially focus on visible traffic violations and helmet use, and on using citations to trigger educational diversion rather than court prosecutions.

Panelists pointed to recent legal and research activity backing their concerns: a statewide consumer alert from the attorney general and regional studies identifying overpowered devices as a key risk. They urged parents to buy from reputable local bike shops, verify wattage and top speed, and decline throttle‑only models. School administrators and safe‑routes staff recommended the practical enforcement approach of banning throttles on campus—an easily checked feature—rather than attempting technical onsite testing of watts or exact top speed.

Next steps the panel listed included a planned countywide summit to align city, school and law‑enforcement partners, continued counts and collision data work, and encouraging district attorneys to investigate deceptive marketing by some manufacturers and retailers. Chelsea Bicklin of Certino Safe Routes to School said the presentation materials and a recording will be posted at certino.gov/ebikes.

The sheriff's office plans to implement the diversion program and stepped‑up education and enforcement this summer; school districts present said they will continue to consider or enforce throttle bans and separate on‑bike training for ebikes and traditional bicycles.