JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Officials from the Jacksonville area’s beach communities are meeting Wednesday to discuss e-bike regulations, with findings from a North Florida Transportation Planning Organization study set to be presented.
The meeting, hosted by Jacksonville Beach, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The study examined e-bike safety, intersections where crashes commonly occur and appropriate ages for riders. It sorted e-bikes into three classes based on speed, and also highlighted e-motorcycles, which can reach even higher speeds.
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A related crash analysis found that 78% of e-bike crashes resulted in injury and that, over five years beginning in 2020, 2025 saw the most e-bike crashes in a single year, with 15 incidents.
According to the study’s crash statistics, cars were at fault 39% of the time, while cyclists were at fault 37%.
The study recommends:
- Adopting the three-class system and labeling bikes with their classifications
- Establishing an e-bike advisory committee
- Posting a unified speed limit of 10 mph on sidewalks, paths and pedestrian areas
- Setting a minimum rider age of 15
- Requiring a photo ID and e-bike registration
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Teresa Stark, who lives in nearby Ponte Vedra Beach, said she has seen her share of e-bike accidents.
“It’s just ridiculous; so much is going on. There’s too many accidents, too many close calls myself,” Stark said.
Stark said she supports registration. “Yes! Yes, it’s a motorized vehicle just like anything like a motorcycle, a golf cart, anything,” she said.
Louis Frezza, who often bikes in Jacksonville Beach, said he has seen young riders behaving dangerously.
“Yes, a lot of them doing wheelies. A bunch of the kids are together riding in packs and they don’t even stop. They just go,” Frezza said.
On the proposed minimum age of 15, Frezza said, “Yeah, if you can get a car, if you could drive a car at 15.”
It is not yet clear whether the 6 p.m. meeting will lead to changes in local policy. Action News Jax will continue to provide updates on the matter.
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