Rohrbough emphasized the impact on existing trail users. “Thirty feels like sixty on the trail,” she said. “Even that’s disorienting, especially when I’m watching toddlers walk around and then dogs and any other pets.”
FOLSOM — A surge of dangerous, disruptive and increasingly confrontational e-bike and e-motorcycle behavior among juveniles across Folsom prompted an extended and unusually urgent briefing before the Folsom City Council Wednesday night, as police laid out the full scope of the issue and previewed changes they hope the city will adopt next month. With calls for service up nearly 300 percent, collisions tripled, new hotspots emerging and riders fleeing police with growing regularity, council members said the problem is no longer a fringe nuisance but a full-scale public-safety challenge affecting parks, playgrounds, trails, businesses and neighborhoods throughout the city.
He explained the distinctions among Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes, then shifted to one of the most misunderstood problems: e-motorcycles that resemble bicycles but behave like motor vehicles. “It goes faster than 30 miles an hour—some upwards of 60 or even 70 depending on the battery,” Yet officers regularly encounter minors riding them at high speeds without any of the required credentials. “You wouldn’t let your 15-year-old drive a Tesla,” he said he often tells parents, “but when it comes to the e-motorcycle, there’s some sort of a disconnect.”
Coupled with the 300 percent increase in calls for service and significant spikes in collisions, he said the usage surge is directly contributing to what officers see daily on trails, at parks and around schools. The city saw e-bike–related calls for service jump from 23 to 350—an increase of nearly 300 percent. “More than 90 percent of those are involving juveniles,” Verhalen said. Collisions tripled as well. “We only had four in 2023,” Verhalen said. “We’ve had 12 in 2025… and almost two-thirds of the riders were juveniles.” In about three-quarters of those incidents, the juvenile rider was at fault.
Council Member Anna Rohrbough said her Parkway district is inundated. “This is very concerning,” she said. “It’s pretty much the northern side of Parkway… what people reference as the Duck Pond… and they’re taking those motorcycles through that area, which is a nature reserve.” She questioned whether lowering trail speed limits, increasing fines, or adding signage would help.
Like Rohrbough, Kozlowski said drones could be a valuable enforcement tool. He expressed concern over the safety of chasing riders on trails. “Putting a motorcycle on the trails and chasing kids down… is probably dangerous,” he said. Verhalen clarified that officers do not chase riders on trails; motorcycle units use the access to “tuck away” with LiDAR and deter speeding. “As somebody comes down the trail… click the button… pull them over,” he said. For those who flee, he said drones can track them home. “Follow the person on that e-bike home with the drone… knock on that door.”
Rohrbough emphasized the impact on existing trail users. “Thirty feels like sixty on the trail,” she said. “Even that’s disorienting, especially when I’m watching toddlers walk around and then dogs and any other pets.”
Council members discussed signage, community involvement, neighborhood speed monitors, and the possibility of posting fines more visibly. Rohrbough said, “There’s not that many signs. I’m on the trails almost every day.” She said the city should consider placing more signs emphasizing the rules for e-bikes specifically.
CLICK HERE to see the complete article in the Folsom Times newspaper.
FOLSOM — A surge of dangerous, disruptive and increasingly confrontational e-bike and e-motorcycle behavior among juveniles across Folsom prompted an extended and unusually urgent briefing before the Folsom City Council Wednesday night, as police laid out the full scope of the issue and previewed changes they hope the city will adopt next month. With calls for service up nearly 300 percent, collisions tripled, new hotspots emerging and riders fleeing police with growing regularity, council members said the problem is no longer a fringe nuisance but a full-scale public-safety challenge affecting parks, playgrounds, trails, businesses and neighborhoods throughout the city.
He explained the distinctions among Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes, then shifted to one of the most misunderstood problems: e-motorcycles that resemble bicycles but behave like motor vehicles. “It goes faster than 30 miles an hour—some upwards of 60 or even 70 depending on the battery,” Yet officers regularly encounter minors riding them at high speeds without any of the required credentials. “You wouldn’t let your 15-year-old drive a Tesla,” he said he often tells parents, “but when it comes to the e-motorcycle, there’s some sort of a disconnect.”
Coupled with the 300 percent increase in calls for service and significant spikes in collisions, he said the usage surge is directly contributing to what officers see daily on trails, at parks and around schools. The city saw e-bike–related calls for service jump from 23 to 350—an increase of nearly 300 percent. “More than 90 percent of those are involving juveniles,” Verhalen said. Collisions tripled as well. “We only had four in 2023,” Verhalen said. “We’ve had 12 in 2025… and almost two-thirds of the riders were juveniles.” In about three-quarters of those incidents, the juvenile rider was at fault.
Council Member Anna Rohrbough said her Parkway district is inundated. “This is very concerning,” she said. “It’s pretty much the northern side of Parkway… what people reference as the Duck Pond… and they’re taking those motorcycles through that area, which is a nature reserve.” She questioned whether lowering trail speed limits, increasing fines, or adding signage would help.
Like Rohrbough, Kozlowski said drones could be a valuable enforcement tool. He expressed concern over the safety of chasing riders on trails. “Putting a motorcycle on the trails and chasing kids down… is probably dangerous,” he said. Verhalen clarified that officers do not chase riders on trails; motorcycle units use the access to “tuck away” with LiDAR and deter speeding. “As somebody comes down the trail… click the button… pull them over,” he said. For those who flee, he said drones can track them home. “Follow the person on that e-bike home with the drone… knock on that door.”
Rohrbough emphasized the impact on existing trail users. “Thirty feels like sixty on the trail,” she said. “Even that’s disorienting, especially when I’m watching toddlers walk around and then dogs and any other pets.”
Council members discussed signage, community involvement, neighborhood speed monitors, and the possibility of posting fines more visibly. Rohrbough said, “There’s not that many signs. I’m on the trails almost every day.” She said the city should consider placing more signs emphasizing the rules for e-bikes specifically.
CLICK HERE to see the complete article in the Folsom Times newspaper.
RSS Feed