Mentioned briefly at the June 10 Borough of Newtown Board of Burgesses meeting and reported in our page A-8 story, "Burgesses Discuss Traffic, E-Bikes, Trees and More," E-Bikes are a nifty newer addition to our daily lives, but like many new things, there are both ups and downs.

By Connecticut law, an electric bicycle is a bicycle that has operable foot pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts and qualifies as a class 1, class 2, or class 3 bicycle (see table 1 below) (CGS § 14-1). These classifications were developed by the People for Bikes Coalition and, according to the coalition, have been adopted in 41 states as of July 2023.

In The Bee story, Gaston said that there have been bicycles on the sidewalks before, and while he doesn’t think that bicycles are an issue, e-bikes go much faster than traditional bikes. Gaston said that there should be an ordinance regarding electric bikes on the sidewalks because of their speed. Gaston said he would draft a proposal of an ordinance to tackle the e-bike issue and would prepare it for the next meeting.

We've all seen them at this point, what looks like a bicycle except its moving at a speed a bicycle could only reach on a long downhill. While a cheap and economical means of transportation, like mopeds and scooters before them, the speeds they can reach often place them at odds and as a danger to pedestrian traffic or even slower bicycle traffic.

According to a study by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, "E-bikes and motor-driven cycles (e.g., mopeds) are both lower-speed vehicles that may be legally operated in Connecticut. Although in some cases similar in appearance, they are separate vehicle classifications under state law and subject to different laws. An e-bike is a bicycle that has operable foot pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts and falls into one of three classifications. A motor-driven cycle is a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle with a motor that has a seat at least 26 inches high and motor displacing less than 50 cubic centimeters (cc).

E-bikes are treated similarly to bicycles under state law. They do not need to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and riders do not need a driver’s license. The same operating rules that apply to bicycles generally apply to e-bikes, but certain e-bikes are not permitted on bicycle or multi-use trails or paths. Like bicycles, e-bikes must have and display lights and reflectors at certain times and under certain conditions. But unlike bicycles, all e-bike riders are required to wear helmets, and state law imposes additional safety equipment requirements on e-bike manufacturers. The law expressly authorizes municipalities to regulate bicycle and e-bike use within their jurisdictions, as long as any enacted ordinance is consistent with state law and applicable regulations.

Although state law broadly authorizes e-bikes to travel where bicycles are allowed, it limits e-bike use on bicycle and multi-use trails and paths and allows municipalities to regulate where e-bikes may be ridden within their jurisdictions.

The Borough will be looking at the issue at its July meeting and its entirely possible that the Town of Newtown may also look at the issue in the future, though likely not the near future as the Legislative Council's Ordinance Subcommittee has a backlog of issues and ordinances it wishes to look at. One imagines that both legislative bodies will find solutions that will allow e-bikes to co-exist safely and harmoniously.