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Cyclists frustrated amid confusion over New Jersey's new e-bike law

By Colleen Wilson
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Shannon and Frank Conner tired everything to teach their son how to ride a bike eight years ago, when he was 8 years old, even signing him up for a class.
..... "It was so sad to watch. Frank and I went every day than all the other kids were getting it and he wasn't" said Shannon Connor, whose son, Jesse, is autistic, has limited venerable skills and struggles with coordination.
..... Connor began to grapple with the reality that Jesse might never be able to transport himself places independently as a teen and adult.
..... But in 2023, he tried an e-tricycle, a three=wheeled bike, with pedals and a throttle that gives it a boost up to 20 miles per hour.
..... The e-trike's throttle eliminated the need to pedal and balance so he could focus on steering.
..... Jesse squealed with unrepresented glee the first time he tried it. "It's just a dream come true," Connor said. "It's a typical boyhood experience that he never would have been able to do without this e-trike."
..... E-bikes unlocked a green, healthy from of exercise and independence for a wide range of people who didn't previously achieve it, including those with disabilities and seniors who benefit from the extra power when pedaling.
..... They have expanded job opportunities for delivery workers and provided mobility to those who might not have access to a car or who lost their license.
..... But as e-bike sales have surged, so, too, have injuries and death.
..... That prompted lawmakers to vise the state's e-bike law first written in 2019.
..... But what resulted was a widely criticized bill rushed through a lame duck session last year. [2025]
..... That legislation - now the strictest cycling law in the country - goes into effect July 19. [2026]
..... Since June 26, [2026] when the Motor Vehicle Commission began registering e-bike, it has issued more than 4,100 e-bike registrations and 250 e-bike permits.
..... Proponents and opponent applauded parts of the new law, such as requiring all e-bike riders to wear helmets and creating a minimum age to ride at 15.
..... But critics say this law goes too far in over regulating people on low-speed bikes by requiring licenses, insurance and registration, and not doing enough to curb those on dangerous high-speed e-bikes.
..... The new law crated two e-bike class.
..... A "low-speed e-bike" pedal assistance from a motor hat goes up to 20 mph.
..... a "motorized bicycle" has four possible definitions, including an engine under 50 cubic centimeters, and it can travel up to 28 miles per hour using pedals or a throttle.
..... Both classes now require license and registration, and motorized bicycles must also be insured.

Education-first approach to enforcement

..... Montiville Police Chief Andrew Caggino has seen a drastic increase in children riding e-bikes around town - and getting hurt doing so.
..... "Legislation was needed and I think this was a good effort to do that," Caggiano said. "I believe that this legislation will save lives."
..... Caggiano said his department is taking an education-first approach to enforcing the new law, and will stop kids and work with parents to make sure they understand the new law, and officers will use discretion for stricter enforcement.
..... "That's not going to happen forever, but we will use our discretion a the beginning to focus on educating the public on what's legal, what's illegal - just give people the opportunity to get their license and get the bike registered like they're supposed to," he said.
..... The rushed and confusing changes in the new law made it difficult for both residents - and even the Motor Vehicle Commission - to interpret it and comply, which cycling advocates say has discouraged cycling in the state.
..... In the months since its passage, lawmakers discussed a fit-it bill to address a number of issues.
..... But the Legislature broke for summer on July 1, [2026] without passing a fix-it bill.
..... "I'm open to fixing if there's issues with e-bike, but e-bikes are proliferating all over the place, said Senate President Nicholas Scutari, who championed the new e-bike law, on June 30, [2026] "I think we took a good first step."
..... "If there are issues with it, I'm open fixing it," he said. "I think everyone is."

Who will feel the law's effect?

..... The e-bike law will impact a wide swath of New Jessey residents, of whom mm roe than 1 in 10 don't have a car, making it the third highest rate of households without a vehicle of any state.
..... People with suspended licenses, who might rely on an e-bike to get to work or appointments because they can't drive, can mo longer legally ride them because of the new law. Undocumented workers, who may use - e-bikes as deliveristas or to get to jobs, may hesitate to register EPS-bikees to avoid being in national databases used by Immigration and Customs and Enforcement.
..... In addition to requiring a license and legislation, e-bike owners have to provide the Motor Vehicle Commission with six points of identity an a proof of bike ownership, such as a receipt, affidavit form the current own or notarized bill of sale.
..... Advocates warned that people who can't afford cars are often those at the lowest income elves and could end up encountering police more often if e-bike rides are being stopped for license, insurance and legislation, or their requirements like head lamps, and a rear light.

Law puts Jesse's e-trike in gray area

..... Now, at 16, Jesse Connor confidently hops on his trike to go to the park with his friends, get ice scream at the local Carvel, and rides around too wash cars in the neighborhood for a little cash.
..... The local crossing guards and police in their 3-square-mile town know Jesse well. You can't miss him his neon vest, high-visibility helmet, autism awareness stickers and flags affixed to the trike.
.....The e-trike was life-changing for Jesse, who unearthed a new level of independence that seemed out of reach a few years ago.
..... It was also life-changing for the Connors, who opened an e-bike store in Shrewsbury last ear, [2025] and founded "3 Wheels form Jesse," a nonprofit that gifts electric tricycles to people on the autism spectrum to help them get to jobs and see friends and family.
..... "I want to leave this Earth making it better than when we got here and, to me, giving people mobility" was the way to do that," Connor said.
..... But for Jesse, the state's new e-bike law puts his e-trike in a gray area.
..... Because the law does not explicitly mention three-wheeled electric trickles, Jesse's trike is exempt form the new regulation, according to the Motor Vehicle Commission. But federal law defines e-bikes as two- and three-wheeled vehicles with a motor that tops out at 20 mph.
..... Jesse can't take a knowledge test needed to attain an new license - and there are no accommodations or exemptions for people with disabilities.

'Uneven enforcement'

..... A list of 11 basic questions about the new e-bike law were sent to Scutari's office and that of Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, the leaders of each chamber who wrote and passed the bill.
..... Neither provided answers to clarify these issues, such as whether e-bikes can legally tote passengers or cargo, and whether out-of-state visitors riding e-bikes must have a license, registration and insurance.
..... As a result, MVC is left to interpret the law and cerate regulations around it, but that has led to confusion.
..... MVC's website did not initially address the issue of out-of-state visitors, but NorthJersey.com sent a question about it, the agency updated its website visitors must obtain a license, registration and insurance, if applicable, to legally ride an e-bike in New Jersey.
..... John Boyle, the research director for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, said the issue of out-of-state riders could be a problem for e-bike delivery drivers and e-bike commuters in his area who travel between South Jersey and Pennsylvania frequently.
..... My biggest concern is the first couple of weeks there's going to be some uneven enforcement," Boyle said. "I think some municipalities are gung-ho about this and what to start cracking down, and then there are others who don't even know what the law is.
..... "What about out-pf-state people going to the shore?" Boyle said. "We can't register but the law says you have to have all these things on you. How does that work?"
..... Some cyclists who brought their e-bike to MVC to register them were not able to prove when they purchased it and that they paid sales tax at that time - which for some residents was years ago - so MVC charged them sales tax again.

MVC, e-bike owners backpedal

..... When defining an e-bike the information on MVC's website conflicted with tis own manual.
..... MVC's manual provided four ways to define a "motorize bicycle," which included those with "an electric motor that is capable of propelling the bicycle in excess of 15 miles per hour through the use of a throttle with a maximum motor-powered speed of no more than 28 miles per hour."
..... But the definition on the MVC's e-bike website didn't include that sentence, which caused confusion for e-bike owners such as Stephen Dunn.
..... Dunn, a firefighter from Elizabeth better known by his Instagram account "thebikefireman," has an e-bike with pedals and a throttle that goes up to 20 miles per hour, which helps him haul heavy gear to various firehouses and shuttle his kids to Little League practice.
..... When he searched MVC's website for information to register his e-bike, he was dumbfounded because it seemed like his e-bike would be considered a motorcycle -a whole other vehicle class with even stricter regulations.
..... Now, because of the confusion, the extra costs to register and insure, and the time it will take to go to the MVC, he's considering giving up his e-bike.
..... "Our lawmakers and decision makers need to fully understand all the consequences of these law changes and I think it has a lot more negative consequences than positive outcomes than they envisioned," Dunn said. "A lot of us feel ignored and not listened to because we all want the same thing - we want safer streets."
..... MVC was made aware of the conflict by NorthJersey.com on Joly 6 [2026] and by July 8 [2026] the website was updated.
..... Dunn is not the only one considering pumping the brakes on e0bikes.
..... Connor, Jesse's mother and e-bike shop owner, said she has customers trying to return e-bikes because of the new law, and others are saying it;s not worth the hassle.
..... "I can tell you just from observation that we are not selling as much as we used to because of the law,"Connor said.
..... As a result, she downsized her shop by elimination their e-bike rental business and reduced their leased space by 1,500 square feet to cut rent. The extra administrative work to comply with the new law has forced Connor to expand the hours and pay of a part-time assistant and spend extra time explaining the new law to customers.
..... "It has unfairly burdened us because now our time is spent getting people the paperwork that they need," Connor said. "If our time talking to somebody doesn't result in a sale, that;s an expense for us."

'Law of unintended consequences'

..... Even some who stand to make money from the new law says it's flawed.
..... Denis Voitenko and Dave Williams are avid cyclists and co-founders of Velosurance, a bicycle insurance company based in Colorado that was cerated to provide coverage for commuters or recreational cyclists who rely on likes almost every day.
..... The business partners said the law had good intentions to cerate an age limit and curb reckless cycling on high-speed e-bikes - or e-motos, which are like dirt bikes meant for off-roading, or electric motorcycles - that can easily cruse into dangerous speeds well over 30 miles per hour.
..... But Voitenko and Williams suspect that's not what the law will achieve.
..... "This law is a perfect example of the law of unintended consequences," Williams said. "It was designed to stop the crazy kids from riding high-speed electric motorcycles and it sucked every person who owns an e-bike into the law."
...... Voitenko said they are getting around 100 inquires a day from people in New Jersey looking to buy e-bike insurance to comply with the law, but most aren't actually buying it. The policy cost was about $100 annually.
...... What's happening in New Jersey, these are not our normal clients, these are the people who have been burdened by the government to do something that they should have never had to do," Voitenko said.
..... Michael Epstein, a Rochelle Park-based personal injury lawyer, said the minimum insurance requirement don't go far enough to protect the e-bike rider. the policy minimums provided by the state Department of Banking and Insurance only dictate coverage for other people or property that could be damaged in a crash involving an e-bike.
..... There's a hole in this law for the drivers of these bikes who think that they recovered or aren't thinking about whether they're injured by someone else," Sentient said. "The reason this was first passed to begin with was because of the death and injury of the people on the bike.
..... NYU Langone Health researches found hat at one New York City hospital a third of the 914 patients treated for injuries linked to pedal-powder and electric mobility devices suffered a traumatic brain injury in the last five years, according to a report published earlier this year. [2026]
..... In New Jersey, a number of children and adults riding e-bikes have died or suffered serious injuries.

Vehicle that can go over 28 mph

..... The other hole in the law is it does little to restrict the sale of e-motos or vehicles being disuised as e-bikes that are actually in the motorcycle class.
..... Voitenko said they're denying a least 70 insurance applications a day from people trying to insure bikes that go over 28 miles per hour. They've blacklisted more than 900 models - "a clear indication of an epidemic that needs to be addressed," he said.
..... New Jersey's new law bans he sale of "electric motorized bicycles," which are now defined as two-wheeled vehicles that can travel over 28 miles per hour, on the Internet for one year. It's unclear how that part of the law is being enforced, and who would do the enforcement.
..... Scutari and Coughlin's offices did not reasoned to questions about that.
..... In California, state lawmakers banned sale of e-bikes with throttles that travel over 20 miles per hour and with pedal assistance, prompting amazon and other retailers to curtail sales of such bikes in the state. California also requires every e-bike soled in the state to have a permanent label hat discloses its classification, its top assisted speed and the wattage of its motor.
..... "When it comes to consumer protection and safety, we think (California's) whole classification was better than anything else out there," Voitenko said.

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