by Kevin Cody
E-bike rentals in Hermosa Beach must be equipped with geofencing devices that disable pedal assist motors when ridden on The Strand, Pier Plaza and the Greenbelt under an emergency ordinance unanimously approved by the Hermosa Beach City Council at their Tuesday, June 4 city council meeting. The ordinance leaves e-bikes legal on The Strand and Pier Plaza if their motors are off, but prohibits e-bikes entirely from the Greenbelt, and city parks.
The ordinance also prohibits e-bike passengers unless the e-bike has a passenger seat, and requires e-bike riders under 18 to wear a helmet.
Fines for e-bike violations were set at $500 for the first offense, $750 for the second offense, and $1,000 for subsequent offenses.
The geofencing requirement for e-bike rentals goes into effect August 4.
Though the council was unanimous in its approval of the ordinance, residents weren’t.
Will Weston, who rides his e-bike from his home in Hermosa Beach to his dental practice in Riviera Village, told the council, “E-bikes aren’t the problem. Speed is the problem. You’re creating new laws when all you need to do is enforce The Strand’s eight miles per hour speed limit.”
Weston contended the ordinance is effectively a ban on e-bikes on The Strand and Pier Plaza because e-bikes are designed to be ridden with pedal assist and “are miserable to pedal without a motor.”
(The elderly and the disabled are exempt from the pedal assist ban on Pier Plaza and The Strand.)
Cliff Hough, owner of Trick E-bikes on Hermosa Avenue, said geofencing The Strand puts his customers in danger because it forces them to ride in the street.
“Couples from Canada who want to ride to Santa Monica on the bike path would have to ride on the street when they are in Hermosa,” he said.
(Hermosa Beach is the only city between Redondo Beach and Santa Monica that does not have a bike path separate from its pedestrian walkway.)
Hermosa Cyclery owner Steve Collins told the council he has tested geofencing on his rentals and said it is easy to use, and relatively inexpensive.
He estimated the costs at $100/bike for the geofencing devices and $20/month/bike for the software. He described the costs as a “rounding error” because e-bikes cost approximately $1,000, and rent for approximately $100 per day, versus $36 dollars per day for a pedal bike.
He acknowledged e-bike rentals may be a small percentage of e-bikes, but could still amount to several hundred in Hermosa on a sunny summer day.
The emergency ordinance gives police discretionary powers to impound the e-bikes of juveniles who are cited, and to require to require payment of an impound fee before the e-bike will be released to a parent. Hermosa police impounded four e-bikes over the past weekend, according to the department’s social media post. ER
