EAGLE, Idaho — Eagle Police have received more than 60 calls about unsafe electric motorbike riding in the last year alone. Reports involve high speeds through parks, cutting off traffic, riding through cemeteries, and ignoring safety rules. Deputy Jeff Hazer with Eagle Police said he hears about similar problems from other agencies across the Treasure Valley on a regular basis.
Watch to learn more about the e-motorbike concerns in Eagle.
Hazer said the first thing he wants people to understand is the difference between an e-bicycle and an e-motorbike — because confusion between the two is at the root of the problem.
An e-bicycle has pedals that drive the rear wheel and an electric motor that provides assistance. There are 3 classes of e-bicycles, with the fastest topping out at 28 mph. Under Idaho law, e-bicycles are treated like regular bicycles — riders stay to the right on the roadway, can ride on sidewalks, and must yield to pedestrians.
An e-motorbike is a different vehicle entirely. It looks like a small dirt bike, has an electric motor instead of a gas engine, and can reach speeds of 50 to 70 mph depending on the model. As a motor vehicle, it must be registered through ITD, and the rider must be licensed and insured. The problem, Hazer said, is that most of these electric motorbikes do not meet federal safety standards and therefore cannot be registered — meaning they cannot legally be ridden on public streets at all, regardless of licensing.
"For some reason, we don't have a problem anywhere with gas-powered dirt bikes running around on the streets and causing problems. We have a problem with the electric ones, and I think there's some confusion with that electric motor. People think it's an e-bicycle, and that's how they're sold and marketed, and that's where the problem comes from," Hazer said.
Hazer said Eagle Police initially tried to handle the issue by talking to kids and asking them to ride responsibly and stay out of heavily trafficked areas. For a while, that approach worked.
"Initially, our attitude was, hey, we just wanna let kids be kids. When we came across these things, my attitude was, I just rode up and said, 'Hey, can you guys just not ride through the middle of town, stay in your neighborhood. If we don't get calls, we won't bother you.' And most of the kids were respectful, and we had a good relationship," Hazer said.
But over time, the behavior escalated. Kids began doing wheelies down the center of streets, riding through crowded parks, and fleeing when officers tried to speak with them. Hazer said social media played a significant role in turning the issue into a game, with kids wearing t-shirts and organizing in online groups around the idea of evading police.
"It started off as a small group of kids causing a problem, and now it's kind of ruined it for everybody," Hazer said.
The boldness of some riders has reached a new level.
"I've had one of these kids on one of these bikes ride up to my vehicle and say, you know, you can't catch me, right? and then take off," Hazer said.
"They are basically turning this whole thing into a game, and they want to be chased, and they are learning that it's fun and it's a game to run from police. I don't think most parents would allow that sort of disrespect in their household. I don't know why it would be okay out on the street," Hazer said.
Hazer said the consequences have been real — kids have been hurt in collisions with other riders on electric motorbikes, and there have been multiple pursuits.
On the Greenbelt specifically, Hazer said e-bicycles are allowed but must be ridden safely and in a controlled manner. E-motorbikes are not allowed on the Greenbelt at all. He said even legal Class 2 e-bicycles traveling at 28 mph can be dangerous in a shared space with pedestrians and other cyclists.
Hazer said he hears from frustrated Greenbelt users almost every day.
"A lot of the pedestrians and bicyclists on the Greenbelt and in neighborhoods in general are really getting tired of dealing with this problem," Hazer said.
He said the message for parents is straightforward.
"I'm hoping that the parents will understand that these are not e-bicycles. They are motor vehicles. It is a motorcycle that just happens to have a different sort of engine on it. Most parents understand that a gas-powered motorcycle ridden by a juvenile is not allowed on the street, and they don't allow it," Hazer said.
"I don't know why it would be okay for an electric-powered motorcycle to be ridden on the street. I just hope that parents would understand that," Hazer said.
Not all young riders are part of the problem. Jackson Keyes, 14, said e-bikes have become one of the primary ways kids in Eagle get around and spend time together.
"They're like super fun to like ride around with friends and stuff," Keyes said.
He said riding responsibly is not complicated.
"You just kind of gotta be careful, like looking both ways, like I'm crossing roads, just like being careful, like going slow, especially on like sidewalks like by buildings," Keyes said.
Keyes shared his frustrations when it comes to riders who are giving the e-bike community a bad name and potentially inviting stricter regulations.
"To like the people that are like misbehaving — just like be careful cause like, we're like trying to have fun, like not trying to like cause like trouble," Keyes said.
Lincoln Greco, also 14, said e-bikes have helped him make new friends and get around the community. But he said reckless behavior by some riders puts everyone at risk.
"If you're riding on the road and like doing like just stupid stuff like popping wheelies in the middle of the street, like, it's just like dumb stuff like that that gets kids hurt," Greco said.
He said riders should use bike lanes and sidewalks and exercise caution when riding in the street.
"People should be more safe and cautious, and like ride on like in the bike lane on sidewalks, and also just — if people are riding in the street, just like be very careful," Greco said.
Greco said the message he wants to send to the broader community is simple.
"We want to shed good stuff on the e-bike community and not like bad stuff, and just we want to make it look like we're good people," Greco said.
Not everyone on the Greenbelt is on an electric bike. Leighton Smith, 11, was spotted riding a regular bicycle and had a clear opinion on the matter.
"Lots of injuries are caused by electrical bikes when you fly down the road and sidewalk, and you get more fit and healthy when you use a regular bike," Smith said.
He also had a simple message for anyone riding an e-bike too fast on the sidewalk.
"If you ride an e-bike and you go 20 miles an hour on the sidewalk, you should probably go at lower speed," Smith said.
