Assemblyman William Conrad, D-Tonawanda, is pictured during a news conference in September at Erie 1 Boces.

A Tonawanda Democrat is proposing to prevent the sale of e-bikes, e-scooters or motor-driven cycles to anyone under the age of 16 years of age.

Assemblyman William Conrad, D-Tonawanda, recently introduced legislation (A.9201) that would require buyers of some personal mobility devices to show proof of age when purchasing the equipment. Proof of a driver’s license would be required to purchase any e-bike that can go faster than 28 miles an hour. Conrad also would define motor-driven cycles in a new section of state law and then apply the same age and licensing requirements to them.

Current law requires that operators of e-bikes and e-scooters must be at least 16 years old. Conrad said a loophole exists in state law because children under the age of 16 can purchase e-bikes and e-scooters even though state law doesn’t allow children under 16 to ride the devices.

“Children under 16 should not use e-bikes because they lack the necessary physical and cognitive maturity to handle the higher speeds and greater weight, which increases the risk of serious accidents and injuries,” Conrad wrote in his legislative justification. “The faster speeds, which can exceed 20 mph, lead to more severe injuries like head and extremity fractures when accidents occur, and a higher rate of hospitalization compared to traditional bikes. Additionally, younger riders may not fully understand traffic rules, have poor judgment, or possess the required spatial awareness to navigate safely alongside vehicles and pedestrians.”

Conrad introduced A.9201 in concert with three other pieces of legislation, all of which are similar to other bills that have been proposed over the past few years and not been signed into law. A.9197 would require license plates for certain bicycles with electric assist and electric scooters; A.9209 would require manufacturers shipping electric assist bicycles and electric scooters to provide lights; and A.9213 would require operators of bicycles with electric assist, electric scooters and motor-driven cycles to wear protective head gear.

Gov. Kathy Hochul did sign a package of bills in July 2024 to improve e-bike and lithium-ion battery safety, though those bills were driven by safety hazards created by substandard batteries that caused several fires in New York City. Only one of the bills dealt with safe ridership of e-bikes. S.7744-D/A.8310-C requires retailers to affix a notice on any bicycles with electric assist and micro-mobility devices which states to always yield to pedestrians and follow traffic laws. This legislation also authorizes that any retail entity who violates the law may be penalized with a fine of no more than $250 per unit for the first offense and not more than $1,000 for each subsequent offense.

The town of East Aurora has passed a town law stating parents can be charged if their child, under the age of 16, is found riding an e-bike whether parents are present at the time or not.