Tag: E-bikes

SANTA MONICA—As students return to classrooms and families settle back into the school-year routine, the Santa Monica Police Department is reminding everyone to slow down, stay alert and help make the trip to and from school a safe one.

The start of the school year brings increased vehicle, bicycle, e-bike and pedestrian traffic around Santa Monica schools, particularly during morning drop-off and afternoon dismissal. Drivers should plan for additional traffic, allow extra time and remain especially attentive near campuses, crosswalks and bike lanes.

“Getting students safely to school is a responsibility we all share,” said Santa Monica Police Chief Darrick Jacob. “Slow down. Put the phone away. Pay attention to what is happening around you. A few extra seconds of patience can make a meaningful difference when children are walking, biking and riding through our neighborhoods.”

E-bikes are increasingly part of how students travel around Santa Monica. They can be a convenient way to get to school, but speed, traffic and inexperience can create serious risks.

SMPD is asking parents and guardians to understand what their child is riding before allowing them on public streets. Some vehicles marketed as e-bikes are actually high-powered electric motorcycles or off-highway vehicles and may not be legal for a child to operate on public roadways.

Students riding e-bikes should:

• Wear a properly fitted helmet every ride.

• Obey stop signs, traffic signals and other rules of the road.

• Ride with the flow of traffic and use bike lanes where appropriate.

• Slow down around pedestrians, intersections, driveways and school entrances.

• Keep phones put away and avoid anything that limits the ability to hear or see surrounding traffic.

• Never ride recklessly, weave through vehicles or rely on drivers to see you.

Parents should know how the vehicle is legally classified, where it can be operated, what safety equipment is required and whether their child is legally permitted to operate it. For detailed information, visit: www.santamonica.gov – Know Before Your Ride – E-Bike Safety Information.

Students should use sidewalks and designated crossings whenever possible, make eye contact with drivers before crossing and avoid stepping into the roadway from between parked vehicles. Students should always follow the instructions of crossing guards and wait until they are directed to cross.

Bicyclists should ride predictably, follow traffic signals, use hand signals when turning and remain visible to drivers. Students traveling independently should also know their route before leaving home and avoid distractions while crossing streets.

The SMPD is asking everyone traveling near a school to exercise patience and remember that children may not always recognize traffic hazards as quickly as adults do.

By Danny Jones

WEST HOLLYWOOD—The city of West Hollywood announced it is launching an E-Bike Incentive Program, giving eligible residents of West Hollywood the chance to receive an e-bike at no cost.

Up to 50 residents will be selected by lottery, with priority given to residents from low- to moderate-income households. Vouchers cover the full cost of an eligible e-bike from Bike Shop LA, plus bicycle maintenance during program participation. Available models include commuter, cruiser, cargo, and small-space-compact folding e-bikes.

Selected participants will complete a BikeLA bicycle safety course and submit quarterly reports on miles traveled as part of the program. Individuals must apply by Monday, August 31 and its open to West Hollywood residents 18 and older.

The city opened an application portal with program details at www.go.weho.org/ebike. Hard-copy applications are also available at West Hollywood City Hall at the Department of Public Works counter on the second floor. A random lottery is anticipated to be held in early September 2026, with priority for residents from low-to moderate-income households.

Selected participants will be required to complete a bicycle safety course offered by BikeLA before receiving their voucher. Participants must agree to submit quarterly reports documenting bicycle miles traveled. Full participation in these requirements is necessary for program participants to keep bicycles for the long term.

The program aims at supporting multi-modal transportation to reduce vehicle miles traveled citywide while supporting the City’s Core Value of Responsibility for the Environment. For more details contact Brandee Thornton, West Hollywood Transportation & Mobility Specialist, at (323) 848-6461 or at bthornton@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing dial 711 or 1-800-735-2929 (TTY) or 1-800-735-2922 (voice) for California Relay Service (CRS) assistance.

By Danny Jones

WEST HOLLYWOOD—Starting Friday, August 7, the city of West Hollywood announced individuals using dockless e-Bikes and e-Scooters in West Hollywood will be required to park devices in designated virtual parking locations throughout the region. These locations may be identified by users within the Lime app.

The changes are being implemented to encourage proper parking of e-Scooters and e-Bikes deployed by Lime, as well as improve accessibility for everyone and support better experiences for riders, businesses, pedestrians, and the broader community.

Dockless mobility devices, including those operated by Lime, provide convenient transportation options and support first-mile/last-mile connections to transit. To help ensure the devices remain vital to the community, riders will now be required to end trips using designated virtual parking locations identified for users within the Lime app. Trips cannot be completed unless a device is parked in one of these approved locations.

The designated virtual parking locations have been carefully selected based on available sidewalk space to accommodate both parked devices and pedestrian access. Riders should always park devices upright, out of the public right of way, and in a manner that does not block sidewalks, curb ramps, driveways, transit stops or building entrances.

West Hollywood and Lime are partnering on a public awareness effort encouraging safe and responsible use and parking for dockless mobility devices. Information will be shared through public service announcements displayed on the city’s digital transit shelters and pedestrian kiosks, which are located throughout West Hollywood.

West Hollywood will launch a high-visibility enforcement program focused on proper parking and safe operation of dockless mobility devices.

The city’s Transportation and Mobility Division is continuously evaluating the program and is seeking to identify additional parking locations. Current and prospective Lime riders may submit requests for additional parking locations using the city’s Engage WeHo portal. Submissions will be reviewed by city staff for impacts to accessibility and, where applicable, a designated zone will be added, which will be viewable to users on the Lime app.

Community members may use West Hollywood’s Service Requests webpage to report an issue involving a dockless e-bike or e-scooter, including an improperly parked or abandoned device. Visit www.weho.org/servicerequest or download the Official City of West Hollywood App on iPhone or Android.

By Danny Jones

WEST HOLLYWOOD—The West Hollywood City Council will decide whether a re-ban will be issued on the use of dockless electric scooters and e-bikes in West Hollywood at a regular meeting on Monday, June 26. City Council will consider three alternatives that respond to safety concerns and community complaints, primarily about scooters.

The Dockless Micro-mobility Pilot Program was launched on July 1, 2021, allowing e-scooters and e-bikes as transportation options for the West Hollywood community. The main goals of the pilot program were to expand West Hollywood’s transportation network, while supporting environmental sustainability. 

Alternative one would end the Pilot Program and return a prohibition of scooters and e-bikes to West Hollywood. 

Despite efforts made by the West Hollywood City Council to address the public’s concerns about scooters littering sidewalks and blocking walkways, the problem of improper parking persists.   

The Pilot Program received 1,452 complaints over the past two years, from July 2021 through May 2023, with approximately 60 percent reported by three individuals. Sixty-six percent of complaints are regarding a device blocking the sidewalk.

On March 6, city council requested for staff to return with research on the implementation of speed-throttling sidewalk detection technology citywide. The proposed use of this technology was an effort to discourage sidewalk riding. Scooter companies, Lime and Bird, did not adopt speed throttling “at the scale desired by the City Council,” according to the City’s staff report. 

Lime implemented a 12 mph speed cap in West Hollywood as of May 2023, but the staff report states that “Lime is no longer pursuing speed throttling for any devices in any of their markets.” Bird applied speed throttling only in specific areas of the city.

If alternative one is selected, the city council would terminate the scooter pilot program by July 31. A ban on “rental mobility devices,” which includes both scooters and e-bikes, would be reinstated by August 1.  

West Hollywood would cancel existing permits with scooter and e-bike companies as well as terminate supporting contracts with service providers like ABM, Populus, and Toole Design. 

The impacts of terminating the use of scooters and e-bikes were acknowledged in the staff report. 

Should the West Hollywood City Council terminate the Pilot Program, setbacks for West Hollywood’s emission reduction goals are expected. Since the Pilot Program began in July 2021, 449,730 total trips, or 628,543 miles, have been traveled with dockless micro-mobility devices. The amount of miles traveled by a vehicle would emit 253 metric tons (253,000 kg) of CO2 emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Unbudgeted costs for the termination process would include $175,000 to contract for the removal of devices from the public right-of-way, $125,000 for disposal of devices not retrieved after being impounded, and $75,000 for the storage of devices removed from the public right-of-way. 

Alternative Two entails continuing the pilot program through October 31, 2023. Staff will manage the program with any modifications desired by the city council and initiate a randomized phone survey, which is set to cost $40K, according to the staff report. In October 2023, city council will reconvene on the issue to decide whether or not a permanent program is possible based on the survey results and updates from staff.

Alternative Three proposes that staff continue the Pilot Program while transitioning into a permanent program. Staff would begin working with Toole Design on the program requirements, proceed with a community survey as was originally scoped (not engage in a randomized phone survey), and accommodate any modifications desired by the West Hollywood City Council. An update including a timeline for the permanent program would be presented to the city council in October 2023.

By Paige Strickland