Bend can’t enforce its way out of problems with e-bikes. Neither can the state.

E-bike violations do matter. They are traffic and safety problems.

Accidents happen. Near accidents happen. People are not obeying traffic laws. E-bikes are being modified to hit speeds over 30 miles an hour, even highway speeds. Children are riding e-bikes, when they are not supposed to, according to state law. A 15-year-old boy on an e-bike was killed in east Bend after being hit by a car.

Do we want police in their SUVs chasing kids on e-bikes? No. Would it be the best use of their time? Probably not. And if a child on a vehicle flees a police officer, they can be facing a felony.

State Rep. Emerson Levy, D-Bend, has become the Legislature’s de facto point person on e-bike law. She presented to legislators last week a template for changes.

Oregon’s existing e-bike law is out of date. Terribly out of date. It’s from 1997. Nobody had an iPhone then. The e-bike world has also undergone a revolution.

So first up for Levy would be to match up Oregon law with the federal definitions of e-bikes. That may sound like not much more than words. And it isn’t much more than legal words. But the state needs the right definition of what an e-bike is as a starting point to build other changes.

State law also says that a rider must be 16 to ride an e-bike. Go to a middle school in Bend in the morning and watch the routine way that is ignored. It’s an acute issue in Bend and also Hood River, West Linn and Lake Oswego, Levy said. Police aren’t going to lie in wait and ticket kids as they show up at school.

And we do not want school staff dialing 911 every time a child rides up on an e-bike.

It is good that kids are riding bikes to school. And where Levy has landed for her second proposed change to Oregon law is to allow kids under 16 to be able to ride bikes with pedal assist. They would not be able to ride bikes that only have a throttle.

That is tricky. And legislators quizzed her about it.

Is it perfect? Is it going to stop dangerous behavior? No. But coupled with investments in educating young riders it is moving toward more safety on the roads.

Expect bills with these elements to come before legislators in the 2024 session. And Thursday, City Club of Central Oregon is hosting a conversation about e-bikes. More about that here: cityclubco.org.