Do you know what is rare these days? Seeing kids and adults riding bikes that they have to pedal.
Welcome to the electric bike or e-bike age.
While e-bikes do have pedals, they aren’t the main mode for speed. That comes from the electric motor. Pretty cool, but what about safety, especially for kids?
The city, Brea Olinda Unified School District and the Police Department are now offering e-bike safety courses for kids, especially those planning to ride their e-bikes to school the coming school year. Completing the safety course is mandatory for every student who wants to e-bike to school.
The 2-hour safety course is offered at no charge and must be attended by the student and their parent or guardian. After successfully completing the safety course, the student will receive their e-bike permit at their school.
The next e-bike safety class is 1 p.m. on Aug. 6 in the Brea Olinda High cafeteria.
To register, go to bousd.us/apps/pages/e-bikesafety
There are very specific rules for riding e-bikes to Brea schools. Besides the requirement of passing the safety course and getting a permit, each school site will have e-bike parking placards the must be attached and visible when on campus.
Helmets are required.
No cruising your e-bike onto campus. Students must walk their e-bikes on all school property, including in the driveways, parking lots and pathways.
There are three classifications of e-bikes. The first two go a maximum of 20 mph and there is no minimum age to ride them, but all riders younger than 17 must wear a helmet. Class III e-bikes have a maximum of 28 mph, and you must be at least 16 years old to ride one.
Class III bikes can carry a passenger, but only if the bike has a passenger seat or cargo area. Surely not recommended for teen e-bikers.
Brea’s e-bike ordinance includes enforcement on reckless or destructive behaviors, plus actions that pose a danger to others on shared streets and trails. The ordinance covers all electronically mobile devices, including e-bikes, mobility devices, motorized scooters, skateboards and pocket bikes, plus bicycles, skateboards and roller skates. And this very important: Violators can be fined, but Brea police can refer juvenile offenders and their parents/guardians to the e-bike safety programs in lieu of paying the fine.
E-bikes can be a lot of fun, but when you add a motor to something, being more safety-minded is most important, even for adults.
According police Lt. Chris Haddad, so far this year in Brea there have been six e-bike collisions, five electric motorcycle collisions and one e-scooter collision. Sounds like time for a safety course.
There are several in-person and virtual e-bike safety courses for adult riders offered in Orange County and through several e-bike dealers.
Maybe grab a book about e-bikes to learn more. Especially when Barnes & Noble opens in the Brea Plaza at Imperial Highway and Associated Road.
So where will it be located?
“The theater was demolished and a new two-story building built in its place,” said Waad Nadhir, of BOSC Realty Advisors, Brea Plaza owners.
He added that Barnes & Noble will be on the first floor and the Grand Salon and Ajliss Medspa will be on the second floor.
Nadhir had previously said Barnes & Noble would open at the end of October, but a later opening is now expected. Definitely worth the wait. It’s been too many years since Brea’s had a bookstore.
Terri Daxon is a freelance writer and the owner of Daxon Marketing Communications. She gives her perspective on Brea issues twice a month. Contact her at daxoncomm@gmail.com.