Connecticut’s new e-bike law, aimed at addressing safety concerns on the roads, has prompted a range of responses from local bikers. While lawmakers say the rules are designed to make streets safer, riders believe the law leaves unanswered questions about where and how e-bikes should be used.
The new law says that e-bikes with no pedals and batteries over 750 watts will now be considered motor driven cycles. A driver’s license will be required for anyone 16 or older, and riders under 21 must wear a helmet. The law also restricts e-bikes in certain areas, such as sidewalks, and sets clearer guidelines on their speed limits and where they can operate. Advocates argue that the law protects drivers and pedestrians by reducing the risk of collisions with faster-moving bicycles.
But some bikers say the law feels more like a ban than a regulation, “I mean like they kind of suck but they are a little bit of a problem,” Stone Redniss ’28, who enjoys riding dirt bikes in his free time, said when asked about the new law. “A bunch of people have them. I wish they’d just regulate it instead of just outright ban them (for those under 16).”
Despite the new restrictions, there’s still a sense that some bikers may continue to ride bikes going over 28 miles an hour without licenses, making it difficult for the law to be enforced.
“I think it will discourage some people,” Redniss ’28 said, “but I think most of the people who have been doing it for a while [are] just gonna keep going.”
