October 13, 2022
Electric assisted bicycles or “e-bikes” are exploding in popularity. With nearly 900,000 e-bikes sold in the United States in 2021, e-bike sales are outpacing the sale of electric vehicles. With many consumers looking to find more affordable and sustainable transportation options, the demand for e-bikes is expected to continue to increase.
In Pennsylvania, e-bikes are treated the same as conventional bicycles under the Motor Vehicle Code. In other words, e-bikes are permitted to operate on any roadway that a bicycle is allowed. Bicycles and e-bikes enjoy the same rights and responsibilities on permitted roadways as motor vehicles. This means that bicycle and e-bike users must obey all traffic signals.
It is important for all motor vehicle operators to be on the lookout for e-bikes on the roadway as a failure to do so can lead to deadly consequences.
Always remember that while Pennsylvania law does allow motor vehicle operators to overtake bicycles on the roadway, the motor vehicle operator may do so only when reasonably safe and must provide 4 feet of distance between the motor vehicle and bicycle.
As e-bikes increase in popularity, it is important that e-bike users and motor vehicle operators work together to ensure safety on our shared roadways.
