Press Release: Advocates Rally in Trenton for a Fair, Clear, and Safe E‑Bike Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 22, 2026

Advocates Rally in Trenton for a Fair, Clear, and Safe E‑Bike Law

Advocates gather at the State House to call for a better e‑bike policy that protects riders and supports clean mobility

Trenton, NJ —Despite rainy weather riders, advocates, and community leaders gathered at the State House yesterday, despite the rainy weather, to call for a better e‑bike law that protects riders, supports clean transportation, and distinguishes low‑speed e‑bikes from high‑powered e‑motos. Organized by a coalition of 20 organizations led by the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition (NJBWC), the ride and rally united voices from across the state and region to urge legislators to adopt a policy that reflects how people actually move through their communities.

Speakers emphasized that low speed e‑bikes are essential tools for mobility, affordability, and sustainability – not luxury items or hazards to be over‑regulated. They called for legislation that aligns with national best practices and focuses enforcement on dangerous behavior rather than everyday riders.

“Under this proposed bill access to bikes becomes limited and turns it into a commodity. Removing park and trail infrastructure only adds to this problematic development. These bikes are not motorized vehicles and having their own space creates security and safety. With the canal path now illegal for us to use the environment has changed and it is taking away our enjoyment of parks and the outdoors. E-bikes focus on extending our range, not moving as fast as possible.” – Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy,

“Like many of my constituents in Jersey City and Hoboken, I get around on a bike, so I can tell you from experience that an e‑bike is much closer to a regular bike than it is to a motorcycle. Lumping them together for licensing and registration won’t stop the high‑speed crashes we keep seeing in the headlines. It will just punish the commuters and delivery workers who rely on e‑bikes to get to work and do their jobs. Trenton can do better than this. I’m grateful to the NJ Bike & Walk Coalition, Bike JC, HudCo Streets, and Senator Mukherji for pushing Trenton to focus on the real problem.” – Assemblywoman Katie Brennan (D‑Jersey City).

“The current law’s requirements treat low speed e-bikes equally with high speed e-motorcycles, restricting transportation options and creating economic burdens for people who depend on them to get to work, to get their kids to school, to deliver our food, and to stay healthy. NJ has an opportunity now to fix this law and take the lead with a better one. We’re calling on our legislators to pass a new law that encourages low-speed e-bike use while regulating high-speed e-motos.” – Debra Kagan, Executive Director, New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition.

“New Jersey has an opportunity to lead in creating sensible e-bike regulations that allow responsible access to low speed ebikes and enhances enforcement for high speed emotos. This is a real opportunity to promote accessible, affordable zero emissions transportation options for all our residents, including some of our most vulnerable communities, and to make our streets safer for all users.” – Cathleen Lewis, Mercer County Commissioner

“E‑bikes aren’t the problem. They’re part of the solution. E‑bikes give more people access to safe, affordable, healthy transportation and help build cleaner, more connected communities. Yet New Jersey’s law treats many e‑bikes like motorcycles. Fighting this is critical in New Jersey and nationally. We need common‑sense policies that recognize e‑bikes as bicycles and support their role in building Bicycle Friendly Communities across the country.” – Bill Nesper, Executive Director, League of American Bicyclists

“As champions of the Maine‑to‑Florida East Coast Greenway, we know that New Jersey is part of a deeply interconnected region. People come here on e‑bikes to work, visit, and travel from Pennsylvania, New York, and across the East Coast. That’s why New Jersey needs a sensible e‑bike policy in line with best practices across our peer states – a policy that allows safe, responsible e‑bike transportation and tourism while addressing the real problem of illegal e‑motos.” – Sofia Barandiaran, New Jersey & New York Manager, East Coast Greenway Alliance; New Jersey Chair, Circuit Trails Coalition

“Some laws are meant to harm people, and those are the laws we need to prevent. The transportation system is so broken that e-bikes have become an essential way to go to work, school, or the doctor, and our immigrant workers in the community will be impacted. We want to prevent accidents in Princeton and Trenton, and we need laws that are equitable to make e-bikes accessible, especially to our brown and Black neighbors.” Ana Paola Pazmiño, Executive Director of Resistencia en Acción NJ

“E‑bikes represent a great hope for our future, here in New Jersey and worldwide. E‑bikes save lives by shifting people from cars to a smaller, lighter, low‑speed alternative. In an era of sky‑high gas prices, e‑bikes also improve affordability and air quality by reducing NJ’s 40% share of emissions from motor vehicle tailpipes. Over‑regulating low‑speed e‑bikes due to confusing them with e‑motos will instead lead to more crashes and make NJ more unaffordable.” - Emmanuelle Morgen, Trustee, Hudson County Complete Streets

“Trenton makes laws so let’s work together and make a common-sense law that other states and municipalities can take to use as we re-think mobility and adapt to new transportation technologies in this country.” Wills Kinsley, Director of Trenton Cycling Revolution

“New Jersey should encourage responsible use of low‑speed e‑bikes, not regulate them like high‑powered vehicles. E‑bikes traveling at 20 miles per hour or less provide a safe, affordable, and sustainable transportation option for thousands of residents. These bikes help reduce traffic congestion, lower emissions, improve air quality, and expand mobility for working families, seniors, and people who may not otherwise have access to reliable transportation. Smart policy should support the shift from short car trips to clean micromobility solutions while focusing enforcement on dangerous behavior, not everyday riders choosing a healthier and more efficient way to travel.” - Beatriz Bofill, Trustee, Bike JC

“Low‑speed e‑bikes and e‑trikes are not luxury items for many disabled riders — they are mobility devices. New Jersey can absolutely address dangerous high‑speed e‑motos without taking independence away from disabled residents and families like mine.” - Shannon Connor, Founder, 3 Wheels from Jesse

Low-speed e-bikes provide practical solutions to many of the real-world challenges families face today, while helping to mitigate the climate and fiscal realities of our children’s future. My family has used our e-bikes to replace thousands of vehicle miles traveled over the last 6 years. Rather than creating unwarranted barriers to entry, New Jersey should be doing everything it can to encourage and enable safer and more sustainable modes of transportation. – Stephen Dunn, Union County Connects

The rally highlighted how e‑bikes expand access to jobs, education, and recreation while reducing emissions and congestion. Advocates urged lawmakers to adopt clear definitions for e‑bike classes, protect youth riders, and ensure enforcement focuses on safety rather than punishment.

The E-Bike Coalition will continue meeting with legislators to advance a bill that reflects the needs of riders statewide and supports a cleaner, safer, and more equitable transportation future.

E-Bike Coalition Organizations Include: