Pedego e-bikesBicycle safety has long been an issue in Newport Beach, but it’s become even more important given the increased use of electric-powered bicycles, or E-Bikes, by many community members, especially youth.
Now, the Newport Beach City Council is weighing in on the issue.
According to a November 4 City Council Staff report, at the October 14, 2025, Newport Beach City Council meeting, Councilmember Michelle Barto brought forth a Council Policy A1 item requesting consideration of amending the Newport Beach Municipal Code to enhance enforcement of bicycle safety by incorporating several modifications to the existing code.
The Bicycle Safety Working Group comprised of Mayor Joe Stapleton, Councilmember Eric Weigand, Councilmember Barto and City staff reviewed and discussed bicycling issues in the City. The major issues discussed included ways to enhance bicycle and electric bicycle safety and coordinating education efforts with schools operating within Newport Beach.
The working group collaborated over several meetings to develop proposed ordinance changes. Those changes include a proposed update to the Sidewalk Cycling Allowed Map, which will add additional street corridors where sidewalk cycling is allowed.
The proposed ordinance and resolution for City Council consideration at the November 4 council meeting was in response to heightened safety concerns and “a need to better accommodate individuals of all cycling experience,” as noted in the staff report.
On August 27, 2024, the Orange County Grand Jury Report on E-Bikes was presented to the City Council. In that report, the Grand Jury made a number of findings including recognition that the majority of Orange County’s 34 cities do not have ordinances or policies in place regulating electric bicycles; the need for consistent and accurate tracking by law enforcement and first responders due to the increased incidents of electric bicycle injuries; and the need for streamlined training and education on electric bicycle use and safety.
The Bicycle Safety Working Group identified four areas of enhancements to the Municipal Code. According to the Staff Report, the proposed ordinance would apply to electric bicycles and other motorized conveyance devices to specifically delineate behavior that is unsafe while riding, require helmets for all riders under the age of 18 years old, and provide additional penalties for violations by minors in particular. And, at the discretion of the citing officer, all varieties of bicycles and electric bicycles may be impounded with release only to a responsible adult.
The Staff Report notes that sidewalks that allow bicycle riding are generally located on major arterials, collector roads, and dual pedestrian and bicycle paths. Some streets allowing sidewalk cycling have since been updated with on-street bicycle lanes as well, but inexperienced cyclists still feel more comfortable riding on the sidewalk and not on the street adjacent to heavy traffic and high-speed roadways.
City Council Comments
At the November 4 City Council meeting, Councilmember Robyn Grant noted that “For the three years that I’ve been on this council, this is the number one issue that people have brought up time and time again. It’s come up in letters and in news articles. So it’s a welcome approach that we’re taking here tonight in starting some additional enforcement and ordinances. One question I have, and maybe the city attorney might need to answer it, but if there’s pedestrians and bicycles or E bikes on the sidewalk, I would assume that the right of way goes to the pedestrian. Or is that something that we need to adjust for?”
“The provisions that were added includes riding in an unsafe manner, so it would be to interfere with the pedestrians that are accessing it,” responded Assistant City Attorney Yolanda Somerville. “It’s intended to make sure that the riders that are using the sidewalks are respectful and making sure that they’re protecting the pedestrians that are also there. I think that’s something that’s been really important in the communication from the public—that riding on the sidewalk can impede a pedestrian, so good education about that to the riders will be a benefit.”
“My district gets heavily impacted around three o’clock every single day as school gets out, so I’m hopeful that these changes will change some of the behavior,” said Councilmember Weigand. “I appreciate staff for coming up with these ideas that will increase, hopefully, some of the penalties. And obviously there’s some diversion program that can occur, but I hope this gives the tools to the police department to be able to enforce some of that behavior a little bit more. This is kind of a work in progress. We’ll see how this impacts and changes the behaviors, and hopefully it brings some of them down, because I hear a lot about this from parents that are frustrated with the behavior of the kids, and they’re the ones giving the bikes to those kids. So hopefully we see some changes out of this. If not, we come back and we retool some ideas.”
“As maybe the only cyclist up here who actually wears spandex and cruises on the streets in Newport, this is a huge, monumental effort by the entire team, from our first responders, from our police or firefighters, from top down to our entire staff,” said Mayor Stapleton. “I think we had an accident on PCH last week, there was a fatality on Coast Highway in Huntington Beach a couple weeks ago. This is an issue that’s near and dear to my heart. This is something we’re going to continue to deal with in my district. For sure, the more development that’s happening, the growth of our community, our objective is going to have people out of their cars where they can walk and bike places.”
After Mayor Stapleton’s remarks, a motion was made to approve, and the motion passed unanimously.
According to City Manager Grace Leung, the ordinance is scheduled to return to the City Council December 9 for final approval. If approved, the ordinance would update Chapter 12.56 of the Newport Beach Municipal Code to include electric bicycles and other motorized devices within the City’s cycling regulations.
If adopted, the new ordinance will take effect on January 9, 2026. Implementation will include updated signage and education to help riders understand the new rules. The City will continue to work with local schools and community partners to support outreach and training.
The post Newport Beach City Council Unanimously Approves Amending Municipal Code to Enhance Enforcement of Bicycle and E-Bike Regulations appeared first on Newport Beach News.