Calls for increased e-bike education evokes pushback in Foster City

Mounting concern over e-bikes, particularly among preteens and adolescents, has led to some cities, such as San Mateo and Burlingame, conducting more training workshops for residents. The Burlingame School District recently launched a pilot program ramping up education initiatives and requiring students register e-bikes to park them on campus to ensure they are street legal and compliant with safety regulations.

During a City Council meeting Oct. 20, Mayor Stacy Jimenez, who drafted the letter along with San Mateo Councilmember Nicole Fernandez, said she is supportive of the city’s efforts to improve infrastructure for non-vehicle travel but also said there is room for more collaboration and education, similar to efforts like in Burlingame. 

“The one comment we get from the community over and over again is, ‘What are we doing about the e-bikes?’” Jimenez said. “I am simply wanting a partnership, and I would love to partner with San Mateo and partner with our school districts to see what we can do as a community to better keep our kids safe.” 

The electric bikes can fall into Class 1-3, with Class 3 bikes going up to 28 mph and require that riders are 16 or older. Class 1 and 2 e-bikes can go up to 20 mph and do not have a minimum age restriction. 

But some cycling advocates were opposed to the letter, saying they are more concerned with inadequate bike lane infrastructure and unsafe driving practices. 

“We are not going to fix this by forcing kids to sit through assemblies and calling it good, while the streets around schools are still over-wide and lack the separated bike lanes that make kids feel safe to ride. If we want no kid to be hurt on our watch, we need to look at our own responsibility, the city’s responsibility,” Yiming Luo said during the meeting. 

San Mateo-Foster City School District Superintendent Diego Ochoa said it’s important for the city and school district to coordinate though that “is already taking place,” adding that if they do engage in a new initiative, it should be one “that is really rooted in data and evidence and not news reports and certainly not social media.”

According to data from local police departments, there have been six collisions involving e-bikes so far this year in Foster City. Between January and the end of September, Burlingame had four, with 13 total since 2023. The figures in those cities are actually higher than in some larger jurisdictions, such as San Mateo — which has had three collisions involving e-bikes between 2023 and the end of September 2025 — and two in South San Francisco over the same time period. It is unclear the ages of those involved from initial information provided. 

The City Council voted 4-1, with Phoebe Venkat against, to approve and send the letter to the district, however, it’s still under review in San Mateo.