E-bike crashes in Charlotte nearly doubled this year, and city staff want young riders in helmets and every rider lit up at night.
There were 122 crashes involving e-bikes in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's jurisdiction through Oct. 1, up from 66 at the same point last year, Jessica Battle, a supervising assistant city attorney assigned to CMPD, told City Council on Monday. Battle called it a 61% increase; by the counts presented, the rise is about 85%. The count covers Charlotte, not the county's other towns. The city has confirmed one e-bike death, Battle said, from a crash in November 2025.
Council Member JD Mazuera Arias, who represents District 5 in East Charlotte, identified the rider as Amber Paris, 15, a resident of the district. A car struck her electric bicycle at an intersection on Driftwood Drive on Nov. 24, 2025, and the driver fled on foot, according to a CMPD release. Paris died Dec. 19. The driver was arrested Nov. 25 and charged with felony hit and run, reckless driving and driving without a license, CMPD said.
Mazuera Arias said he wanted to "acknowledge her and acknowledge the pain" her death brought to East Charlotte, and said he looked forward to supporting the rules "to protect more of our children and our teenagers."
Council took no vote. Monday's presentation previewed a proposal that council's Safety Committee sent to the full council in September; a vote would come at a later meeting. No date was given.
Helmets, lamps and a sidewalk speed limit
The rules would build on a state law, Session Law 2026-46, whose e-bike provisions take effect Dec. 1. It sorts e-bikes into three classes. On a Class 1, the motor helps only while the rider pedals and cuts out at 20 mph. A Class 2 can move without pedaling, also up to 20 mph. A Class 3 helps only while the rider pedals, up to 28 mph. Riders under 18 on a Class 3 must wear a helmet. The law lets cities set speed limits on sidewalks and multiuse paths, restrict some classes on them, and require helmets for riders under 18 on Class 1 and 2 bikes.
City staff recommended that council:
- Copy the state's definitions and classes into city code.
- Require helmets on Class 1 and 2 e-bikes for riders 16 and under, or for everyone under 18. Council would pick the age.
- Require a lamp at night for every rider.
- Continue to allow e-bikes on sidewalks, at 15 mph or less, with riders required to yield to pedestrians.
- Add e-bike penalties for damage to property, such as the rubber marks Battle said shopping centers have reported in their parking lots.
The sidewalk speed would match a 15 mph limit that already applies to bicycles and e-bikes on city sidewalks, staff confirmed during questions. Some Charlotte sidewalks are only four to five feet wide, Battle said, comparing them with Mecklenburg County's greenways, which are about 20 feet wide and carry a 20 mph limit.
The aim, Battle said, is "not to restrict people's modes of transportation" but to hold riders accountable for how they ride.
Mazuera Arias said one of his main concerns had been East Charlotte's gig workers, who rely on e-bikes to deliver for apps such as Uber Eats and DoorDash, and that he was relieved the plan regulates riders' behavior rather than the bikes.
Police in uptown and in South Charlotte have seen a surge of e-bikes, particularly young riders, Battle said. Counting the crashes takes work. The state crash report form officers fill out has no category for e-bikes, so officers sometimes log them as mopeds or bicycles, and finding the e-bike crashes can mean going through police reports, Battle said. CMPD has asked the state to change the form.
Bicycle committee points to cars
At the request of Council Member Dimple Ajmera, Connie Proctor, who chairs the city's Bicycle Advisory Committee, and Matt Wechsler, who chairs its policy subcommittee, spoke for the committee. The committee is about 90% in agreement with the city on the ordinance, it told council, but its first priority, more protected bike infrastructure, has not been discussed yet. Its second is education for parents and children; about five middle schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools offer bicycle training, the committee said. The rising crash numbers come mainly from people being hit by cars, the committee told council, and the death Mazuera Arias described came from a hit-and-run, not misuse of an e-bike.
What council still wants to know
Ajmera questioned whether the rules would address the problem if they leave out e-motos, electric motorcycles that cannot be pedaled. Deputy City Manager Shawn Heath said those fall outside the e-bike definition and already come under state law, which requires a license, registration and insurance.
Council Member Kimberly Owens asked whether the county's greenway speed limit is enforced, saying she was reluctant to "do things that just make us feel as though we've addressed a situation when we're not really addressing it." Staff said the city does not have that data yet. Owens also raised pedestrians hurt in e-bike crashes who, she said, have no recourse. State law does not require e-bike riders to carry a license or insurance, staff said, but penalties written for e-bikes could help injured people seek restitution in court when a crash leads to criminal charges.
Council Member LaWana Mayfield asked whether helmets could be required based on an e-bike's speed rather than the rider's age. Under state law, the city can require helmets only for riders under 18, Battle said.
Council Member Reneé Johnson asked about scooters, which staff's presentation groups with skateboards and hoverboards as personal conveyance vehicles and which the proposal does not cover. Battle said council has the authority to add rules for those vehicles too. Scooter crash data had not been pulled, staff said, but could be.