Laguna Beach City Council passed an ordinance last week that will regulate electric bikes and scooters, including limiting their speed to under 25 mph within city limits.
It’s not the first in the state. Down South, San Diego recently implemented similar rules, including prohibiting riding on sidewalks or boardwalks, a 15 mph speed limit, designated parking corrals and requiring minors to wear helmets. Additionally, riders must now have a driver’s license.
The e-scooters and e-bikes are now considered ‘E-Vehicles,’ which must follow the rules of the California Vehicle Code. This new law would make minors potentially liable for citations, with fines expected to range between $100 and $500.
Arturo Ceballos, a freshman studying business of cinematic arts, said these laws may limit the accessibility of Laguna Beach for students who use e-vehicles as their main mode of transportation.
“It affects that community, as many students tend to go to Laguna Beach during the weekends to chill or do homework,” he said. “If people can’t ride [their e-bikes] at a solid pace, then people will migrate to other places where there’s no limits on speed.”
If a similar motion were passed in Los Angeles, many USC students would be affected. Senior Manny Yoque said he thinks it may be a good thing.
“I think if that law were to be passed and enforced on USC campus grounds, it would have a positive effect on USC students and their safety,” Yoque, who studies vocal performance and public administration, said. “For those studying string instruments, wind or brass instruments, if they were to get hit by an electric scooter and fall and injure their fingers, their career is potentially over…[the same goes] for a person’s valuables in their backpacks if their were to be hit by an electric scooter user.”
USC has its own list of bicycle & scooter safety tips that advise students to keep their speed below 15 mph and ride in the direction of the arrows on the bike path to avoid collisions.
According to data from USC Student Health, motor scooters contributed to 10.5% of injuries reported to the university, while regular scooters contributed to 1.2%. Motor scooters also contributed to 14.5% of head injuries, 14.9% of arm and hand injuries and 13.5% of leg injuries.
Yoque said he has seen several students travel faster than 20 mph on campus. Many students say people riding e-scooters do not follow the campus safety guidelines.
“Every class is scheduled with a minimum 10 minutes in between. That provides ample time for a person to get to their next class on time,” he said. “There needs to be a good balance.”
Psychology major sophomore Johan Quinonez said he understands why the Laguna City Council passed the ordinance.
“[If similar rules were implemented in L.A.], USC students may consider riding at an appropriate speed to avoid fines, thus reducing the possibility of accidents.”
The beach city also requested that the police department return in six months with a report on the enforcement. The new law will go into effect on May 8, 2025.