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A public park should be a place where people do not compete with motorized vehicles.
Children should be able to run around a playground. Seniors should be able to walk without looking over their shoulders. Dog walkers, parents pushing strollers and people with disabilities should be able to use park paths without fearing a fast, heavy vehicle approaching from behind.
On July 7, the Danville Town Council recognized this and adopted Ordinance No. 2026-02, establishing a clear rule for town parks: e-bikes and electric motorcycles and motorized scooters may no longer be ridden there. Riders may enter a park, but they must dismount and walk their devices.
The ordinance also limits bicycles and powered devices to 15 mph on town-owned trails outside parks.
Importantly, these new rules also apply to the throttle-activated e-motorcycles known as e-motos that are so prevalent in Danville. These high-powered vehicles have motors larger and faster than California law allows for e-bikes, even though they are often mislabeled as e-bikes. Popular brands of these “e-motos” include Ariel Rider, Cycrown, Macfox, Ride1Up, Ridstar, Super73, Tuttio and many more.
Unfortunately, Danville has become a major center of e-motos. Volunteers from Danville Safety Advocates and E-Bike Access counted more than 200 of these devices at seven San Ramon Valley middle schools.
E-motos are already illegal under existing California law, but police enforcement has been inconsistent. The ordinance will give police another location-based tool for addressing e-motos in our parks. And as the town manager recently announced, the Danville police and San Ramon Valley Unified School District will begin enforcing the laws against e-motos at the school bike corrals when school resumes next month.
Stronger enforcement of laws governing speeding e-bikes and illegal e-motos has the broad support of Danville residents.
As of July, more than 800 people had responded to the “Danville Sidewalk and Park Path E-Bike Survey”, with 90% identifying as Danville residents. More than 85% said they had felt unsafe because of an electric device on a sidewalk or park path and supported the ordinance prohibiting such devices from being ridden there.
Many Osage Park users described electric motorcycles speeding past them and creating near collisions at blind corners. Some have even stopped using the parks for safety reasons.
Danville’s response is notable not only for the rule it adopted, but for how it came about. Residents shared their experiences, completed surveys and attended public meetings. Danville Safety Advocates and E-Bike Access gathered information and proposed a solution. Town staff and community advocates translated public concerns into a workable ordinance. The Town Council listened, considered competing interests and did the right thing.
The ordinance is location-based and simple to enforce. It doesn’t ban e-bikes or declare that every e-bike rider is reckless. Instead, it recognizes that different forms of transportation belong in different places.
Street-legal devices may be ridden where permitted. In pedestrian-priority parks, they must be walked. That clarity protects responsible riders and pedestrians.
As the police become better educated on the difference between e-bikes and e-motos, the riders of e-motos can also be cited for riding unregistered motorcycles without a license and their parents can be charged for allowing unlicensed juveniles to operate motor vehicles. The e-motos can also be impounded, with a hefty price-tag.
Danville’s residents, community advocates and town staff deserve thanks for contributing to this effort — with special thanks to the Town Council for listening to the community and taking decisive, balanced action to protect pedestrian safety.
Editor’s note: Alan Kalin, a retired U.S. Army colonel and bicycle safety advocate, founded Danville Safety Advocates and sits as president of Mount Diablo Cyclists. Kalin served as the first chairman of the Danville Bicycle Advisory Commission, led the effort to establish the commission, and helped secure Town Council approval and adoption of Danville’s Bicycle Master Plan.
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