In a TikTok video posted by MasFace (@masfacee), an electric bike rider was pulled over by a police officer after receiving a call, but the complaint was quickly dismissed when the police officer learned the bike was electric.
After approaching the rider, the officer said the rider couldn't ride it on the suburban street. Once the rider asked, "I can't ride electric?" the officer immediately said it was fine.
@masfacee Cop couldn't believe it was electric 🤯 (via Goldsy/yt) #fyp #police #cops #bikers #surron #electric #foryou #viral ♬ original sound - MasFace
"Cop couldn't believe it was electric," the caption of the video said. When another police officer came by and apologized to the rider, he asked to do him a favor by keeping it off the road.
But, without access to cycling on the road, where can you ride an electric bike?
In the U.S., there are no federal laws prohibiting electric bikes from roads (though states and other jurisdictions may have their own rules). Regular pedal bikes are allowed on most roads, excluding major highways, and electric bikes are generally allowed to follow these guidelines, provided riders obey the rules of the road.
Electric bikes and electric motorcycles have many benefits for not just the environment but for riders as well. E-bikes can help save tons of money, with e-bikes costing roughly $50 a year to charge, maintain, and park, even in a scenario with heavy use and high electricity costs, per Outside magazine.
The magazine noted that, at more limited use and average electricity prices, the annual cost is a mere 2.5% of the cost of running an electric vehicle. And EVs are cheaper than gas-powered cars to power and operate.
Electric bikes also provide ease of parking, greater accessibility, less noise pollution, less environmental pollution without the use of dirty fuel, and the health benefits of exercise. Electric biking can also make you feel "happier and healthier," per the Atlantic.
Other countries are making progress in switching from reliance on cars to bikes, such as France, which is offering citizens over $4,000 to trade in their vehicle for an electric bike.
Electric bike riders have increased in the U.S., with over 880,000 e-bikes purchased in 2021 alone. However, in the U.S., laws and HOA guidelines banning electric bikes have made it hard for riders to fully adapt to car-centric communities.
"'It's not illegal' 'keep it off the road' huh?" said one commenter on the TikTok post, confused by the police's request.
"Why is it a pedal bike can be on the road but an electric bike can't?" commented another user.
The comments illustrate the confusion that police officers and citizens alike have around rules for e-bikes. That's a situation that bike advocacy groups are trying to clarify so that more people can safely and knowledgeably use these vehicles with so many benefits.
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