Bicycles have long been a entrenched mode of transportation in Florida but the latest iteration of the vehicles, electronic bicycles or e-bikes, have grown increasingly present on many of the state’s beaches, restaurant areas and tourist destinations.
St. Johns County, home to tourist-rich locales St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach, is now taking measures to increase safety awareness for e-bikes after two troubling accidents involving the two-wheeled vehicles this year.
The e-bikes are electric-powered bicycles that still have pedals that can help charge the electric batteyr. But a push of a button or turn of a throttle can get e-bikes travelling to speeds of about 20 mph to 30 mph, depending on the brand and capacity of each e-bike battery.
The St. Johns County Commission passed a resolution this month to join forces with the Sheriff’s Office and the St. Johns County School District to promote more awareness and safety for the operators of e-bikes as well as e-scooters and other electronic motorized devices.
The move comes after two 15-year-old boys suffered serious injuries following separate accidents on e-bikes in St. Johns County. For a town like St. Augustine, tourists rent e-bikes often and they’re hardly limited to the streets of historic districts. They’re increasing in presence on beaches as well as beachgoers use them to traverse miles of coastline.
The county resolution addressed the issue bluntly.
“There were 79 bicycle crashes involved in reported traffic accidents in the state of Florida in 2024, according to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Statistics Report,” the county resolution states. “The Board of County Commissioners seeks to proactively support public education and enforcement policies that improve rider behavior, reduce collisions, and protect vulnerable road users.”
All three county government agencies will engage in public awareness campaigns warning e-bike riders, automobile drivers and pedestrians about the potential issues with e-bikes. The county acknowledged they are affordable modes of transportation and walks a line not to discourage them, but enhance safety instead.
“I am excited about this partnership to improve safety in our community on this issue,” “I was honored to be supported by my fellow County Commissioners to assemble a partnership with the Sheriff’s Office and School District,” said District 3 Commissioner Clay Murphy.
“Together, we will address this public safety issue of e-bikes in the classrooms with students, in the community with parents, and on the streets with our community. This resolution is the first step in a campaign to educate e-bike users proactively and provide enforcement when necessary.”
St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick said the resolution’s timing is right.
“Education and enforcement are critical to promote safety in our communities. We’ve experienced far too many tragedies involving e-bikes and young people; this resolution is a reminder of our unified commitment to prioritize the safety of our citizens,” Hardwick said.
–Drew Dixon, Florida Politics
JimboXYZ says
I think they need to put the details out on those that were involved in ebike accidents. If an ebike operator is doing 20-30+ mph, salmoning against traffic. That kid is not going to live to an older age thinking everyone else is responsible for their commute & failure to observe basic traffic laws. Ask them how they intend to pay for motor vehicle damages for a crash they caused when they are hospitalized or worse yet, a fatality ?
“Together, we will address this public safety issue of e-bikes in the classrooms with students, in the community with parents, and on the streets with our community. This resolution is the first step in a campaign to educate e-bike users proactively and provide enforcement when necessary.”
Here’s the problem in a nutshell, the village idiots are too stupid to figure this out, than an ebike is nothing more than a motorcycle with fewer operating restrictions. 15 years old the 2 victims were. Why would society allow ebike operators to be any less required to operate an ebike than they would any other motor vehicle ? Just because an EV was developed, that didn’t change the requirements for operating one of those, unless it was ideally self driving the passengers ? Same goes for an ebike.
Susan says
Once again people are failing to remember that training, adults explaining rules of the road and how to be courteous on the road ways. It is their responsibility, not the sheriff or schools, to talk to their kids. Many parents say “ oh they’ll be ok. “. Until they are not. Parents need to wake up and act like parents. You don’t know how or why your kids are acting crazy on greenways, parking lots, bike paths and cart paths, even though you told them to be careful.
Thank you St. John’s Sheriff’s Dept for actively stepping up the process.
Please parents know how and where your children are. Safety!
R.S. says
I was doing my morning exercise on a normal bicycle in the wee and still dark hours of the morning. I have lights in front and blinking red lights in the back of my bicycle. I was met with an e-bike coming toward me: no lights–neither front nor back. If I had had no lights, I would probably not have noticed him and we might have collided. Yes, it’s definitely time to regulate traffic on the bike/pedestrian paths in Palm Coast. Pedestrians should know that the path requires walking on the right, not on the left as if they’re on a street with motorized traffic. And e-bike users should know that, like motorcycles, their vehicles should be witb lights at all times. And our deputies should be around to enforce the rules–particularly now that school is starting.
Skibum says
The problem isn’t limited to e-bikes, it is with many juvenile AND adult riders of bicycles, e-bikes, electric scooters and even skateboards who ride carelessly without regard for others. I myself had a very close call with an adult riding a bicycle late at night on a sidewalk, without any lights on the bicycle, and while wearing dark colored clothing. I was stopped at a traffic signal at an intersection, getting ready to make a right turn. This bicyclist came off of the sidewalk into the street right in front of my car as I began my turn, and luckily for him I slammed on my brakes and let him cross in front of me. He gave me a dirty look as hi passed, like I somehow should have seen him despite his stupidity for riding in the dark on an unlit bike while wearing dark colored clothes!
I have seen numerous other close calls with motorists and pedestrians many times, which seem to be increasing with all of the e-bikes and electric scooters nowadays. Today is the first day of school in central Florida, and already I am reading in the news about a 14-year old school student who was riding his e-bike to school in Volusia County and was hit by a car. Flagler County, Volusia and St. Johns too should start getting much stricter in enforcing whatever local ordinances and state laws apply to bikes and scooters, or propose additional ordinances if communities are lacking in enforcement methods. This is a safety issue that is not going to go away.