New E-bike legislation in NJ

jdog

jdog

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This is controversial enough that it deserves it's own post.

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NJ Legislature

The New Jersey State Legislature
www.njleg.state.nj.us www.njleg.state.nj.us


The controversial parts of NJ's new e-bike law (signed Jan 2026) include treating all e-bikes the same, requiring licenses/insurance for even slow pedal-assist models, banning online sales, and potentially creating barriers for commuters and delivery workers, while failing to address high-powered e-motos; critics say it over-regulates low-speed bikes and misses the mark on real safety issues from faster, more dangerous electric two-wheelers, say advocates.
Here's a breakdown of the controversy:
1. Unifying All E-Bikes
  • The Change: The law eliminates NJ's previous three-class system, lumping slow, pedal-assist bikes (like Class 1) with powerful, motorcycle-like "e-motos".
  • The Controversy: Biking advocates argue this unfairly burdens low-speed commuter bikes, which are popular for transport, with rules meant for much faster, more dangerous machines.
2. Licensing & Insurance Mandates
  • The Requirement: All e-bike riders must eventually get a motorized bicycle license (or use a regular driver's license) and carry insurance.
  • The Controversy: This creates barriers to micromobility for everyday users and delivery workers, with concerns about increased police stops and penalties, especially for lower-income riders.
3. Misdirected Focus
  • The Problem: Serious crashes often involve high-speed e-motos, not standard low-speed e-bikes.
  • The Criticism: The law restricts low-speed bikes but doesn't effectively target the truly dangerous, high-powered devices that cause severe accidents, say advocates.
4. Other Controversial Provisions
  • Online Sales Ban: A one-year ban on online e-bike sales was included.
  • Age Restriction: Bans children under 14 from operating e-bikes.
  • Lack of Enforcement: Critics point out the state failed to enforce an earlier 2019 law for Class 3 bikes, making them question the new law's future effectiveness.
In essence, the debate is about whether the law effectively improves safety or creates unnecessary burdens on responsible riders while failing to address the core problem of dangerously modified or powerful electric bikes and scooters (e-motos) on the roads..
 
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“Pedestrian” shall include any person operating a bicycle, low-speed electric bicycle, or low-speed electric scooter, as those terms are defined in R.S.39:1-1.

This is wild.
 
I said this on another forum talking about this very issue and I'll bore you with it here. My take on the law, despite what it says, is the intent is to impact the use of ebikes on paved roads where there are vehicles, pedestrians, and other cyclists and those are the only places where the law will be enforced. We, being mountain bikers as this forum suggests, ride our mountain bikes (electric or regular) in the mountains and on dirt trails with no other traffic. I doubt we'll see any enforcement on our favorite trails. Most of us drive to the trail heads and start our rides there anyway so it doesn't matter. I know it will suck for us in other ways like if we depend on those who do ride their ebikes on the roads to deliver goods and services we need. This is just an example of how half-ass things are done in this state.
 
jdog said:
This is controversial enough that it deserves it's own post.

View attachment 275369


NJ Legislature

The New Jersey State Legislature
www.njleg.state.nj.us www.njleg.state.nj.us


The controversial parts of NJ's new e-bike law (signed Jan 2026) include treating all e-bikes the same, requiring licenses/insurance for even slow pedal-assist models, banning online sales, and potentially creating barriers for commuters and delivery workers, while failing to address high-powered e-motos; critics say it over-regulates low-speed bikes and misses the mark on real safety issues from faster, more dangerous electric two-wheelers, say advocates.
Here's a breakdown of the controversy:
1. Unifying All E-Bikes
  • The Change: The law eliminates NJ's previous three-class system, lumping slow, pedal-assist bikes (like Class 1) with powerful, motorcycle-like "e-motos".
  • The Controversy: Biking advocates argue this unfairly burdens low-speed commuter bikes, which are popular for transport, with rules meant for much faster, more dangerous machines.
2. Licensing & Insurance Mandates
  • The Requirement: All e-bike riders must eventually get a motorized bicycle license (or use a regular driver's license) and carry insurance.
  • The Controversy: This creates barriers to micromobility for everyday users and delivery workers, with concerns about increased police stops and penalties, especially for lower-income riders.
3. Misdirected Focus
  • The Problem: Serious crashes often involve high-speed e-motos, not standard low-speed e-bikes.
  • The Criticism: The law restricts low-speed bikes but doesn't effectively target the truly dangerous, high-powered devices that cause severe accidents, say advocates.
4. Other Controversial Provisions
  • Online Sales Ban: A one-year ban on online e-bike sales was included.
  • Age Restriction: Bans children under 14 from operating e-bikes.
  • Lack of Enforcement: Critics point out the state failed to enforce an earlier 2019 law for Class 3 bikes, making them question the new law's future effectiveness.
In essence, the debate is about whether the law effectively improves safety or creates unnecessary burdens on responsible riders while failing to address the core problem of dangerously modified or powerful electric bikes and scooters (e-motos) on the roads..
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Interestingly enough the legislator had no interest in reaching the same goals (trained riders and accountability through traceability) for quads and dirt bikes...

And by helmet do they require a motorcycle helmet like I've been reading or a bike helmet will suffice?

How does my wife's Bafang updated MTB classify? 1 or 2 ? and if 2, can I just remove the throttle lever to downgrade to 1 ?
 
UtahJoe said:
Orange Julius
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Literally LOL'd this. My boys call him Cheeto man.

anyway - the whole things is less than half assed and literally puts everything into one category. Its just the latest platform for Murphy and other politicians to say they did something about it without any inputs from real cyclists with no way to enforce it.

Maybe the new Gov will reverse it or fix it so it targets the real problems of moto-ebikes and other off brand bikes/scooters running into and injuring/killing people. And for the population that relies on such "vehicles" for transportation or to work (deliveries?) there has to be something better to support them.

There's no easy rock solid solution without some actual thought process going into it, but we know how that goes.
 
iman29 said:
Maybe the new Gov will reverse it
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ray-liotta-laughing.gif

Maybe the new Gov will reverse it or fix it so it targets the real problems of moto-ebikes and other off brand bikes/scooters running into and injuring/killing people. And for the population that relies on such "vehicles" for transportation or to work (deliveries?) there has to be something better to support them.

The bolded statement makes it a very small scope and may only impact if someone actually kills someone. I don't have the answer here but you general try and get this stuff squashed BEFORE it is a law, not after.
 
1. Unifying All E-Bikes
  • The Change: The law eliminates NJ's previous three-class system, lumping slow, pedal-assist bikes (like Class 1) with powerful, motorcycle-like "e-motos".
  • The Controversy: Biking advocates argue this unfairly burdens low-speed commuter bikes, which are popular for transport, with rules meant for much faster, more dangerous machines.
I said this in the other thread but I've never seen anyone use a Class 1 or 2 bike for Commuting, EVER. Never on the road, never in town, nowhere, it doesn't happen. It has never happened, it never will happen.
 
stb222 said:
ray-liotta-laughing.gif

Maybe the new Gov will reverse it or fix it so it targets the real problems of moto-ebikes and other off brand bikes/scooters running into and injuring/killing people. And for the population that relies on such "vehicles" for transportation or to work (deliveries?) there has to be something better to support them.

The bolded statement makes it a very small scope and may only impact if someone actually kills someone. I don't have the answer here but you general try and get this stuff squashed BEFORE it is a law, not after.
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💯 agree with the last part of your last sentence. I'll take it a step further and say it's too late now. The entire state is now the Watchung Reservation of ebikes. It's going to be damn near impossible to advocate for class 1 ebikes when there are more ignorant drivers who want you off the road compared to the NIMBYs who want you out of the woods.

Can only hope enforcement is the same as helmets for kids.
 
This will affect most of us 0%. Police will go after the kids (and their parents) who are riding eMotos up and down suburban streets, pulling wheelies at 40mph. I doubt the police will have patrols out pulling over food delivery people or anyone who looks like they are commuting to work, and definitely not at mountain bike trailheads.

Bike shops and recreational renters are the ones really getting screwed. I suspect they will quickly amend this law for that reason alone.
 
If they're not distinguishing among the different classes of e-bikes, explain the table in post #1 that specifically calls out classes and different treatment for classes 1/2 and 3. I iz confuse.
 
My take on this is simply that people who have lost their license due to dwi are permitted to get on an ebike and travel to ther favorite liquor store. Same thing happened to mopeds, cuz the offenders bought them in droves, drove against traffic, caused accident etc....is a drunk going to spend 12 grand on a high end pivot to go out drinkin? Probably not but thats where the regulation is coming from. Who you gonna sue when these clowns without insurance end up on the hood of your car?
 
SmooveP said:
If they're not distinguishing among the different classes of e-bikes, explain the table in post #1 that specifically calls out classes and different treatment for classes 1/2 and 3. I iz confuse.
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It's the language used in the bill. It lays out the requirements for "low-speed electric bicycle" and "motorized bicycle", which are defined in the bill as class 1/2 and class 3 (and maybe anything less than 50cc?) respectively.
 
Piston Honda said:
It's the language used in the bill. It lays out the requirements for "low-speed electric bicycle" and "motorized bicycle", which are defined in the bill as class 1/2 and class 3 (and maybe anything less than 50cc?) respectively.
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But the first part of J's post says:
1. Unifying All E-Bikes
  • The Change: The law eliminates NJ's previous three-class system
Are the classes eliminated or what?
 
If it helps, I'm not sure if J's post is entirely correct. The operator of any low-speed ebike or motorized bicycle operating on a highway must be in possession of insurance id card. I cannot find in the bill where class 1 is exempt from this rule.
 
SmooveP said:
They got rid of the word "class" but they define 2 types - Motorized electric bike and Low speed electric bike, and there appears to be some differences in how they're treated. So not totally unified.
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I think his will fall into the enforcement category of: if your doing dumb shit, you getting pulled over. It is unlikely police will care enough to ticket anything mtb related unless; doing something dumb.
 
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