Teens on E-Bikes
Where we are,
where we should go
TEACH THEM TO FLY
2023 Safe Routes to School Summit: Breaking Down the E-bike Boom
by Megan Ramey, Safe Routes to School Manager, Hood River County School District
Poll: What is the way forward for teens and ebikes?
3 Undecided
Teach them to Fly
Clip their Wings
Teach them to fly
We need to use this E-bike boom and biking renaissance as one of the greatest opportunities for behavior change in transportation and climate resiliency.
Teen Ebike Boom
WHERE WE ARE
WHERE WE SHOULD GO
Education, Infrastructure, Equity, Messaging, Policies, Market Adaptation, Advocacy
E-bike boom, free teens, technology, laws, local government and media
1
2
Where We Are: Ebike Boom
Where We Are: Ebike Boom
Where We Are: Ebike Boom
Where We Are: Ebike Boom
“E-bikes are the most addictive, fun, transformative product on the market right now, which makes them incredibly effective as a car replacement. You only need to try one, and you’ll want to ride it for the most mundane of errands, like picking up stamps from the post office. If you ride one to work, your co-workers will wonder why you are so damn happy and want to test-ride your bike in the parking lot.”
Where We Are: School Drop-off
Where We Are: Free Teens
Where we are:
Teen Ebike Indicator Communities
Commonalities:
Hood River, OR
Atlanta
San Diego
Bend, OR
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Pittsburgh
Salt Lake City
Washington
Steamboat Springs
Boulder
Where We Are: Indicator Communities
Where We Are: Indicator Communities
Where We Are: Indicator Communities
Where We Are: Indicator Communities
Where We Are: Indicator Communities
Where we are: Technology
Before 2016
Rad floods market
Now
Inexpensive, class 2 “throttle” ebikes with known braking issues
Higher $, class 1 pedal assist
“No license, registration required.” Blurred lines ebike or motorbike?
Where we are: Laws
Class ½ 3
All
Ages 16
16 16
Where we are: Reactionary Media
“All it’s going to take to have this conversation explode is a teen hitting a baby stroller or a senior citizen, or just as bad, hitting a fixed object like a pole or parked car. Crashes like this unfortunately happen with non-electric bikes every year, but if it happens with someone who is under age riding an e-bike, the media frenzy would be harsh. We could see overly restrictive laws passed, police changing their enforcement stance, and a general public backlash that sets bike advocacy back decades.”
Where we are: Reactionary Media
Real Problem: Motor Vehicles
An e-bike for teenagers means freedom, but it’s also an early lesson in alternative transportation. It teaches kids from a young age that we can move ourselves around in a way that is both efficient and sustainable. We don’t have to burn gallons of fuel to get to school or buy a carton of milk. We don’t have to pave more lanes and expand roads to fit ever-larger cars (both physically bigger and more numerous, each a unique and dangerous trend on its own). Owning and using an electric bike is a lesson in so many fields, from personal responsibility to punctuality and even environmental stewardship.
- Micah Toll “Why more teenagers should ride electric bikes” in Elektrek.co
Part 2
Where We Should Go
E-bikes is like Sex Ed in Middle School
Teach Abstinence
Police /
Principals
Me:
Safe Routes to School Manager
Learn, be kind, be safe and have fun
Where We Should Go: Education
League Certified Instructor
K-8 Bike Safety in PE Class
Afterschool Walk & Roll Club
Ebike Show & Tell
E-biker’s Ed
Barrier for Oregon is the law: must have learner’s permit or 16+ years old
Solution: field trip to Washington or host on private property
Where We Should Go: Infrastructure
Safe Routes to School
Demonstration at
Hood River Middle School
Separate walking and biking infrastructure
Seawall, Vancouver, BC
Where We Should Go: Equity
Programs like Ebike Rebates and Cargo Bike Libraries help low income families use E-bikes for transportation
Where We Should Go: Messaging
Forming a Safe Routes to School program in response to a perception of reckless riding, is not the right messaging.
Where We Should Go: Messaging
Where We Should Go: Messaging
One of the major tenets of the “safe systems” approach to traffic safety is that our streets should allow people to make small errors in judgment without the consequence of death.
-Jonathan Maus, BikePortland.org
Where We Should Go: Law, Policies
Legalize Class 1 (pedal assist) ebikes for
ALL ages
Where We Should Go: Technology
Ebikes for kids, tweens and teens
Where We Should Go: Advocacy
Harness new riders, especially Moms and Women
CargoBikeMama
Hood River Mayor Kate
Mosier Mayor Arlene
CONTACT
Do you have any questions?
Megan Ramey
Safe Routes to School Manager
megan.ramey@hoodriver.k12.or.us
@hoodriverwalkandroll
@bikabout