What to Know About NJ's New E-Bike Law

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**Brian Lehrer** (0:17)
Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Coming up next, we're gonna get you ready for two things that are gonna take effect in July that might affect many of you. One is a new Ebike law in New Jersey. All kinds of new rules, in some cases, insurance requirements for Ebike owners. So we're gonna tell you what you need to know if you own an Ebike in New Jersey. And also, nationally, new student loan policies kick in, both for new borrowers and for people paying back loans.
Those will kick in in July. So we're gonna talk about both of those coming up. Brian Lehrer on WNYC.

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The law says the thing he took has to be worth something.

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Brian Lehrer on WNYC. So, Ebike riders in New Jersey, listen up. On July 19th, riders in the Garden State will be required to obtain a license, registration, and depending on the bike, insurance as one of the strictest Ebike laws in the nation goes into effect. Joining me now to discuss the details of the law, including letting you Ebike owners know exactly what you have to do, plus a little New Jersey Transit news now that the World Cup has arrived, is Larry Higgs, Commuting and Transport Reporter at nj.com. Hey, Larry, thanks for hopping on. Welcome to WNYC today.

**Larry Higgs** (3:34)
Thanks. Thanks for having me.

**Brian Lehrer** (3:36)
So let's start with what actually changes on July 19th. Where would you start to run down the requirements for Ebike owners?

**Larry Higgs** (3:46)
Well, I mean, first of all, there's a lot of confusion out there. What people are really waiting for is the State Motor Vehicle Commission, which is basically your DMV in New York, to start the process so people can begin to register their Ebikes and get licenses.
As you said, the law starts on the 19th. There is a six-month grace period for people to catch up. But obviously, there are people who want to get started.
If you're a kid who's 16 and older, you have to go through the licensing process as if you were a driver. So there are people who are interested in getting that started. And of course, the backdrop to all of this is there is a growing discontent from the bike advocacy community who feels that this should be more in line with what other states in the nation do, and that is to target what they consider the more dangerous class 3 e-motos, which are e-bikes that are faster or more powerful and resemble a motorcycle, and pretty much leave the class 1 and class 2 pedal bikes alone. There are even some advocates that I talked to who said that just because an e-bike has a throttle, instead of using pedals to make the motor actuate, that's not necessarily a criteria, citing folks who have mobility issues who might use e-trikes and things of that nature would be subject to a tougher standard. So there's a lot of confusion.