State Lawmakers Push for E-Bike Accountability and Pathway Safety
During the 2026 legislative session, Senator Ann Johnson Stewart introduced new regulations for electric bicycles and high-powered motorized bikes. The legislation, which passed the Senate but stalled in the House at the end of the session, focused on electrical safety standards, youth helmet requirements, and giving local cities the ability to set speed limits on crowded paths.
The push highlighted a growing issue on local sidewalks: distinguishing legal, low-speed e-bikes from unregulated, high-powered electric motorcycles that are causing challenges on our roads. The goal of the legislation is to hold manufacturers accountable for deceptive marketing, protect pedestrians, and keep paths safe without over-regulating standard bicycles.
The Engineering Approach to Trail Safety
Ann’s background as a civil engineer allows her to see the infrastructure of our transportation systems, such as local trails and sidewalks, and understand the design standards we need to develop to respond to the increased presence of e-bikes. When heavy, motorized devices capable of motorcycle speeds share narrow pathways with pedestrians, it creates a structural safety issue.
“E-bikes are an excellent form of transportation and recreation for Minnesotans,” Johnson Stewart said. “But, as they have grown in popularity, we’ve seen growing confusion and safety concerns caused by motorized bicycles that do not meet safety standards but are being marketed as e-bikes”.
The legislative push, contained in S.F. 3236 and S.F. 3280, requires manufacturers to clearly label speed and motor wattage, mandates helmets for riders under 18, and allows cities to lower speeds in business districts
The Hastings Crash and State Studies
The push for clearer laws follows severe accidents involving unregulated e-motos. In August 2024, a pedestrian in Hastings suffered life-altering injuries after being struck from behind by a 14-year-old riding an electric motorcycle that was illegally operating on a sidewalk.
Additional incidents highlight the specific risk to youth riders without protective gear. In a recent safety report, MPR News highlighted a 2024 crash involving a minor named Stella, who sustained a brain injury after falling from an e-bike while riding without a helmet during a family camping trip.
These individual cases match broader state metrics. During an April 2026 Senate Transportation Committee hearing, Hannah Pritchard of the Minnesota Department of Transportation presented the state’s Electric-Assisted Bicycle Youth Operation Study. The study confirmed a surge in youth riding and recommended immediate interventions, including point-of-sale education and clear labeling to help separate legal e-bikes from heavier motorized vehicles.
Local Law Enforcement and Financial Risks
Local police departments report that they need clearer state laws to manage the influx of high-speed devices. Officers are encountering heavy, high-powered e-motos parked at high schools that legally classify as motorcycles, which require a license, registration, and insurance.
“We feel like with a lot of these, the kids are pestering their parents to get them to buy the item without the parents even knowing the rules behind it,” Greene said. “So we’re trying to blast it out, educate via social media, through the news”.
Legal and insurance analysts also warn parents about a hidden financial risk. Standard homeowners and renters insurance policies frequently exclude motorized vehicles. If a minor riding an unclassified, high-speed e-moto injures a pedestrian, the family may have zero liability protection and face the full financial burden of the accident.