CABO opposes AB 2054, Electric Skateboards

The California Association of Bicycling Organizations, the association of California’s bicycle clubs, respectfully opposes AB 2054, as amended February 20. While we endorse the use of alternative transportation such as electric skateboards, the ideas here are not fully worked out.
As introduced, the bill expressed the Legislature’s intent to define “electric motorized skateboard.” But that has not been done (though the term “electric” has expanded to “electrically”). The bill should probably begin with a definition of “skateboard,” as part of the Vehicle Code’s Definitions division—perhaps something along the lines of “a device for riding upon while standing, consisting of a short piece of wood, plastic, or metal mounted on roller-skate wheels, and having no seat or handlebars” (possibly specifying the size, number, or arrangement of the wheels). “Electric motorized skateboard” could then be a type of skateboard that has the properties described on p. 3 of the bill. The insurance disclaimer also belongs logically with this definition (as with the current definitions of “motorized bicycle” and “motorized scooter” in Vehicle Code §§406 and 407.5, and the proposed definition in AB 2173 (Bradford) of “low-speed electric bicycle”). It doesn’t fit under the Rules of the Road division.
But these are technicalities. The substance of the bill leaves many questions unanswered. How can electric motorized skateboards be a practical means of transportation if they’re permitted in bike lanes, but not on roadways? What does the rider do when the bike lane ends (or before it begins), or to turn onto a street without bike lanes? What are the operating characteristics of electric motorized skateboards: For instance, can they maneuver and stop quickly enough for street use? What are the consequences of shared use with pedestrians and equestrians on hiking and recreational trails?
What about lighting requirements at night? Are operators subject to vehicle registration, operator licensing, or helmet requirements? For comparison, see §24016 for the corresponding regulations for electric bicycles.
We would like to see these issues addressed so we can evaluate electrically motorized skateboards on their merits.

This entry was posted in Miscellaneous on by .

About Jim Baross

I bicycled across the USA from East to West in 1976 leading groups of bicyclists for the “Bikecentennial ’76 “event and again in 2007 riding this time from West to East with my two sons. I was first certified as an Effective Cycling Instructor in 1986 by the League of American Bicyclist and have been an active League Cycling Instructor for the League since then. In 2002 I gained acceptance as a Cycling Instructor Trainer and since then have conducted 11 training seminars for certification of League Cycling Instructors held in San Diego, San Jose, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Sacramento, Morgan Hill, Fairfax, and Palo Alto. I completed the San Diego Police Bicycle Skills Menu Course in 2003 and I have been an expert witness for bicycling crash incidents. I presently serve on several bicycling advisory committees and advocacy organizations. Chair - Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Working Group for the San Diego regional association of governments since 1995 Vice Chair - California Bicycle Advisory Committee for the State Dept of Transportation, a member since 1992 President - California Association of Bicycling Organizations Board member - California Bicycle Coalition California State Ambassador – League of American Bicyclists Co-Chair California Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Challenge Area 13, Improving Bicycling Safety Conferences, seminars and similar events at which I have attended and presented bicycling safety information and training include the following: Speaker/Presenter, Calif. Office of Traffic Safety, Summit “What to do about all these bicycles in Traffic”, 2009 ProWalk-ProBike Conference, Seattle WA., 2008 Attendee/Speaker, League of American Bicyclists, Bike Education Conference, Wisconsin and New York City, 2002 & 2007 Velo Mondial, Amsterdam. 2000 Speaker/Presenter, Calif. Office of Traffic Safety’s Summit “A Vision for Roads to Traffic Safety”, 2000 Speaker Autovation conference, San Diego 2005 Chair, California Strategic Highway Safety Plan, #13 - Improve Bicycling Safety Presenter, California Strategic Highway Safety Plan Summit, 2008 Anaheim Attendee, League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Summit, Washington, DC, 2006 & 2008 Presenter, Walk/Bike California Conferences, Oakland 2003, Ventura 2005, Davis 2007 Speaker, Making the Connection International Trails and Greenways Conference Presenter, Safety N Kids, Conference, “Children Learn Best by Good Examples From Those They Trust”, 2006 Speaker, ITE Conference 2006 Dana Point, Calif., “Engineering for Bicycling, From a Bicyclists Point of View” Exhibitor/Speaker, Lifesavers, National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities, 2004 References familiar with my bicycling background and experience include: Kathy Keehan, Exec Director San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, Ph: 858-487-6063, Email: execdir@sdcbc.org Stephan Vance, Chair Calif. Bicycle Coalition and SANDAG Senior Planner, Ph: 619-595-5324, Email: sva@sandag.org Ken McGuire, Chief Bicycle Facilities Unit, California Dept of Transportation, Ph: 916-653-2750, Email: ken_mcguire@dot.ca.gov Preston Tyree, Director of Education, League of American Bicyclists, 1612 K St., NW, #800, Washington, DC 20006, Ph: 202-822-1333 x 227, Email: Preston@bikeleague.org

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