LETTER: The problem with e-bikes is e-motos

June 26, 2026

To the Community:

Vermont communities are seeing a rapid increase in high-powered, high-speed, unregulated devices operating on streets, sidewalks, and on shared-use paths.

The problem is not with e-bikes. It is a different category of device entirely, what Local Motion and our national partners call “e-motos.”

 E-motos have more powerful motors and are capable of significantly higher speeds than e-bikes, and often lack the ability to pedal entirely. The growing safety concerns we’re hearing across Vermont stem from the rise of these devices and their unclear legal status, not from the e-bikes Vermonters have long used responsibly.

The good news is that Vermont state statute already defines and regulates these devices. So why are e-motos showing up in our communities? The answer lies in a regulatory gap.

Local Motion calls for:

• Public education to help retailers, parents and consumers identify and distinguish legal e-bikes from prohibited devices.

• Stronger statewide regulation to close loopholes that allow e-motos to be sold and marketed as e-bikes, including approaches recently adopted in states like California.

• Continued investment in infrastructure to provide appropriate and safe places for e-moto users to ride, separate from pedestrians and car traffic.

• Consistent enforcement of existing laws prohibiting e-motos from sidewalks and shared-use paths.

Community safety is a shared priority. We want people to be outside, active, and connected with one another, but in ways that do not create unnecessary risk or harm to themselves or others. The focus must be on clear rules, consistent enforcement, and targeted action where it is needed most. 

E-bikes are not the problem. They are part of the solution. Let’s work together to create a community-centered solution to create safer streets for everyone.

Find shareable resources about e-motos and more information online at localmotion.org/emotos.

Jack Evans

Burlington 

Jack Evans is a Complete Streets Specialist at LocalMotion.org.