Encinitas City Council members directed staff on Wednesday, Aug. 19, to draft new rules targeting e-bike conflicts at local parks and trails, after hearing that collisions have climbed sharply, with 30 reported in 2025 alone compared to 59 over the prior three years combined.
Sheriff's Capt. Shane Watts, who commands the North County Coastal Station, told the council 14 e-bike collisions have occurred so far in 2026. Only half involved youth riders. Two involved riders older than 70 who fell off their bikes, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Mayor Bruce Ehlers said the loudest complaints come from the 44-acre Encinitas Community Park and Olivenhain's Sun Vista Park, where crowds of middle-schoolers from Diegueno cut through on e-bikes after school, speeding along a concrete pathway near the dog-play zone. The city has already extended fencing along that pathway to keep riders off the grass.
"We want you to ride to the park, but we want you to enjoy the park like others do," parks, recreation and cultural arts director Dave Knopp told the council.
Knopp noted city data suggests few Encinitas e-bike riders are younger than 12. Most problem behaviors come from 13- to 15-year-olds.
Options now under consideration include a 12-year-old minimum age, speed caps on trails and park paths, more signage, bike education programs and increased enforcement. State Assembly Bill 2234, introduced by former Encinitas Councilmember Tasha Boerner, allows San Diego County cities to adopt the 12-year-old age limit under a pilot program through early 2029.
Councilmember Jim O'Hara, who first placed the e-bike issue on the council's agenda in late January, called for a "huge education push" with banners, pamphlets and outreach at the point of sale, targeting businesses that sell e-bikes to minors.
Injuries climbing countywide
The numbers extend well beyond Encinitas.
A University of California San Diego study found e-bike injuries among people younger than 18 jumped 300% between 2019 and 2023 in San Diego County. Rady Children's Hospital reported three e-bike injuries in 2021; by 2025 that number exceeded 250.
The push follows a June 2023 crash that killed a 15-year-old e-bike rider at Santa Fe Drive and El Camino Real. The council declared a state of emergency afterward and lowered vehicle speed limits on several roadways.
Deputies have already been enforcing existing rules aggressively. In early 2026, the Sheriff's Office seized 16 e-motorcycles from young people not legally allowed to drive them and used helicopters to track down violators, according to a March report.
No date has been set for a vote on the new ordinance. Staff will return to the council with draft code language at a future meeting.
Residents who witness reckless e-bike riding can report it to the San Diego County Sheriff's non-emergency line at (858) 565-5200.
