As planners who spend our working hours (and plenty of our free time) thinking about how to make active transportation safer and more comfortable, we’ve found it impossible to ignore how e-bikes and other lightweight electric mobility devices have changed the active transportation landscape. From teens on e-scooters to older adults tackling trails with e-bikes, we’ve watched electric micromobility expand the reach and appeal of active transportation. By letting more people comfortably complete more of their trips without a car, these devices move us towards shared equity and sustainability goals. So, when New Jersey enacted one of the most restrictive e-bike laws in the country this winter, and our representatives in the Philadelphia City Council began considering a proposal to require licensing for people using e-bikes for deliveries, we paid close attention.
We understand the need for regulation; for the same reasons we plan for infrastructure that separates people walking, biking, and rolling from people driving, we recognize throttle-powered e-bikes capable of traveling 30+ miles per hour have no business weaving between strollers on a shared-use path. At the same time, recent legislation does not adequately distinguish between the two, in some cases treating a parent on a pedal-assist cargo bike no differently than a rider on an e-bike that’s closer to a motorcycle than a Huffy. That failure carries a cost, and it falls on the people who can least afford it: The riders who depend on e-bikes for work and daily transportation. Rules that make an affordable alternative to driving harder to use foster inequities and push people away from exactly the kind of sustainable travel we should be working to grow. Additionally, any rule requiring a license to pedal hands police a new pretext for stops, which decades of data tell us will disproportionately impact people of color.
New Jersey’s Legislation
On January 19, 2026, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed S4834/A6235 into law as one of his final acts in office. The law abandons the three-class e-bike framework used in most states and replaces it with New Jersey’s own categories, sweeping pedal-assist bikes into the same regulatory bucket as mopeds. Riders must hold a driver’s or motorized bike license, register their devices with the Motor Vehicle Commission, and (for most categories) carry liability insurance. The law also bans riders under age 15.
This legislation responds to real tragedies, including a Scotch Plains crash that killed a 13-year-old riding an e-bike. We mourn the lives lost to traffic violence, and we share the goal of preventing future tragedies; however, it’s worth emphasizing that New Jersey’s legislation, which we support as applied to high-powered throttle-driven devices, does not distinguish those devices and pedal-assist bikes capped at 20 miles per hour. In addition to creating disproportionately burdensome requirements for low-speed devices, the law misses an opportunity to do two things: Set rules proportionate to a device’s speed and invest in the separated facilities that keep faster riders away from people walking.
What Philadelphia is Considering
This spring, Philadelphia City Councilmember Jeffery Young introduced Bill 260525, which would require anyone making commercial deliveries on a pedal-assist e-bike to obtain a new “E-Bike Delivery License.” These e-bikes are already regulated by Pennsylvania law, which caps motors at 750 watts and assisted speeds at 20 miles per hour; more powerful e-bikes require licensing. In other words, the legislation targets the most modest devices that have been deliberately exempted from state licensing requirements in the past.
If passed, this bill will likely impose licensing fees (and fines for noncompliance) on a delivery workforce largely composed of low-wage workers of color, pushing this economically vulnerable population further to the margins. It also discourages e-bike use, even though we should be encouraging it. People driving cars and trucks, not e-bike riders, are responsible for the roughly 100 Philadelphians killed on city streets every year.
A Better Approach
More thoughtful regulations present an opportunity to make our streets safer without reinventing the wheel. A three-class system already exists and has been adopted by many states. This system distinguishes pedal-assist bikes capped at 20 miles per hour (Class 1), throttle-assist bikes capped at 20 miles per hour (Class 2), and faster pedal-assist bikes capped at 28 miles per hour (Class 3). Notably absent from this system are the high-speed, throttle-assisted bikes that function as traditional motor vehicles and pose the greatest safety risk. This framework gives policymakers precise levers, not blanket restrictions, to prioritize safety:
- Allow Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes, which behave like conventional bikes, on shared-use paths.
- Restrict Class 3 e-bikes to roadways, on-street bike lanes, and protected cycletracks—facilities separated from pedestrians, where higher speeds fit the context.
- Clearly define out-of-class devices as motor vehicles, subject to existing laws.
We also encourage policymakers to pair any e-bike regulation with funding for infrastructure improvements. When streets feel dangerous, people biking end up on sidewalks. High-quality, separated infrastructure does more to separate e-bikes from pedestrians than any licensing scheme ever will.
E-bikes have expanded access to an affordable, low-carbon, and joyful way to travel, putting more destinations within biking distance. The right response is to pass legislation and build infrastructure that promotes their safe use, not regulate them out of existence.
Kyle Hearing and Sophie Maes are transportation planners at Foursquare ITP.