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Vienna police are warning families that modifications to electric bicycles can push the vehicles outside Virginia’s e-bike classifications, as officers continue a monthslong safety campaign focused on young riders.
Police say some riders remove or completely disable factory speed limiters without their parents’ knowledge. Depending on a vehicle’s capabilities after modification, it could be treated as a moped or motorcycle rather than an e-bike. Fairfax County Government classifies vehicles capable of exceeding the Class 3 standard that way.
“Parents don’t know that the children are modifying these class 1, 2 or 3. e-bikes, and that’s the biggest issue we’re having at the moment,” Vienna Police Department spokesman Irving Rodriguez said.
The campaign is intended to improve safety on streets and in neighborhoods, parks and trail areas. Officers have been stopping riders, discussing required equipment and Virginia traffic laws, and contacting parents. Police have identified the area around the Vienna Community Center and locations near the W&OD Trail as activity hotspots.
Police say e-bikes are seen primarily on Vienna roads, though some riders use sidewalks. Rodriguez said officers have encountered reckless riding, stunts, high speeds and juveniles without helmets when helmets are required.
“They do travel at an extremely high rate of speed. They are known to be extremely quiet, and if you combine that with pedestrians on a sidewalk or on the street, or in a busy park, that could lead to somebody getting seriously injured,” Rodriguez said.
Riders may be stopped and could be fined for exceeding a posted speed limit, performing stunts or operating unsafely near other people, according to Rodriguez. He also attributed a reduction in off-road vehicles around Vienna to the campaign, although no stop totals, citation figures or before-and-after counts were supplied.
A June 17 encounter illustrated the distinction police are drawing between regulated e-bikes and other electric vehicles. Officers stopped a juvenile riding an electric dirt bike on a sidewalk without a helmet. Police determined that the vehicle did not meet the criteria for a Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3 e-bike.
A guardian subsequently took custody of the rider and dirt bike. Police provided the juvenile and guardian with information about e-bike rules, off-road electric dirt bikes, vehicle classifications and helmet use.
Virginia divides e-bikes into three classes. A Class 1 bicycle provides pedal assistance without a throttle, has a motor rated at no more than 750 watts and stops assisting at 20 mph. A Class 2 bicycle may include a throttle and is also limited to a motor of no more than 750 watts.
Class 3 bicycles use pedal assistance, may provide assistance up to 28 mph and likewise cannot exceed a 750-watt motor rating. Class 3 riders must be at least 14 and must wear helmets. Licenses and license plates are not required, according to the source article, but Class 3 e-bikes are prohibited on the W&OD Trail.
The concern extends beyond Vienna. Fairfax County police have proactively spoken with young riders even when officers did not observe a violation, according to Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay. In Loudoun County, the School Board considered partnerships addressing e-bike activity near campuses, while the sheriff’s office planned a safety class for July. School Board member Deana Griffiths called for more coordination with the sheriff’s office and county supervisors.
Haymarket had also recently prohibited electric vehicles from town sidewalks as of July 1.
Vienna’s campaign, however, remains centered on education and direct contact with riders and families, with enforcement possible when officers observe speeding, stunts or unsafe operation. Police did not provide comprehensive figures for stops, citations, crashes or injuries, and the supplied reporting did not identify a Vienna crash caused by a modified e-bike.