New Jersey governor signs controversial e-bike bill into law
In one of his last acts as outgoing governor, New Jersey's Phil Murphy signed a controversial bill into law requiring e-bike owners to be licensed and carry insurance. The bill also bars children under 14 from piloting an e-bike.
The law does away with the broad three-class system used in many states and makes New Jersey the first state in the US to require licenses and insurance for all e-bike riders, including Class 1 bikes, which are pedal-assist only and have a top assisted speed of 20 mph. Residents with valid motor vehicle driver's licenses won't need a separate license for e-bikes, but must carry insurance.
Cycling advocates criticized the new rule for disproportionately penalizing lower-speed e-bikes, even as the state has consistently failed to enforce an existing law, passed in 2019, that required license and insurance for owners of Class 3 e-bikes, which have a top assisted speed of 28 mph. The law was passed in response to safety concerns around crashes, but advocates say that it fails to properly distinguish conventional low-speed e-bikes from unregulated e-bikes and mopeds, which are disproportionately involved in crashes. [NJ.com]
