Marin County presents data linking youth ebike injuries to proposed opt‑in ordinance; Belvedere to consider local adoption

Talia Smith, Marin County’s director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs, told the Belvedere City Council that local 911 data collected since 2023 show a disproportionate spike in ebike injuries among 10‑ to 15‑year‑olds and a different injury profile for throttle (class‑2) ebikes compared with conventional bicycles. “For ebikes, it is about 5 times higher,” Smith said, citing county tracking that separates ebike incidents from bicycle incidents.

Smith outlined how Assembly Bill 1778 (a county pilot backed by Assembly member Damon Connolly) lets Marin jurisdictions opt in to treat class‑2 throttle ebikes like class‑3 devices — including limiting riders to 16 and older and requiring helmets for throttle bikes. The pilot is designed to be implemented locally; the county passed first reading at the end of March and is seeking a coordinated summer 2025 roll‑out so rules are consistent across towns. Smith said the county’s approach emphasizes a two‑pronged strategy of local ordinances plus an aggressive public‑education campaign targeted at teens and parents.

Council members focused questions on enforcement and messaging. Smith said enforcement would likely be secondary infractions: officers would address primary violations (reckless riding, speeding) and use the age restriction as an additional citation when appropriate, and counties and cities envision safety classes rather than aggressive prosecutions. Dr. John Ma, a trauma surgeon at MarinHealth, and representatives of local safety groups urged adoption; Bob Mittelsted of nonprofit Ebike Access described local observations that a small share of throttle bikes account for a disproportionate number of accidents. The council asked staff to bring the model ordinance back in May for first reading and to include police analysis of enforcement and traffic‑school options ahead of a second reading the following month.