MANASQUAN — Last week’s collision of an e-bike and a pickup truck, resulting in injuries, has prompted borough council members to emphasize the importance of bike safety throughout Manasquan and the surrounding shore communities.
A woman operating an e-bike ran a red light traveling east and was struck by a pickup truck that had the right of way at the intersection of Lakewood Road and South Street at around 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 14, according to the police accident report. The e-bike rider was trapped underneath the pickup truck, and first responders were able to pull her out. Fortunately, according to Manasquan Police Public Information Officer Capt. Nicholas Norcia, the injuries were not critical and the rider is expected to recover.
According to the accident report, the e-bike rider was charged with failure to observe a traffic control device.
Ptl. Michael Tantum, who created a presentation surrounding the safety and traffic rules of e-bikes, responded to the scene on Sunday.
“Bikes and e-bikes have to follow all traffic laws; whatever a car has to do you also have to do… as long as people follow that, we’ll see a decrease in accidents happening, but we prioritize the safety of all people on the road and want to make sure we limit what we can,” Ptl. Tantum told The Coast Star.
As the popularity of e-bikes in the surrounding shore communities has skyrocketed in recent years, traffic concerns have become a major concern for members of the community, the Manasquan Police Department and the Manasquan borough council.
Public Safety liaison Councilman Gregg Olivera addressed the accident at the July 15 council meeting.
“Miraculously, the e-bike rider is going to make a full recovery; however, in light of that, I’d like to remind the public that all e-bikes must observe traffic laws… we were very lucky this weekend.” he said.
Mayor Mike Mangan chimed in and proposed potentially organizing a petition with surrounding communities regarding the e-bike regulation issue currently facing the entire state.
“They’re no different than mopeds. When they finally regulated them, the problem almost disappeared.” said Mayor Mangan.
MANASQUAN PD PRESENTATION
The popularity of e-bikes and the raising concern over traffic safety led Manasquan Police Officers Ptl. Tantum and Ptl. Kevin Istvanditsch to put together a presentation breaking down proper safety information.
The 25-slide presentation, which can be found in its entirety on the manasquan-nj.gov website, was adopted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and has been presented in schools throughout the county in an effort to spread awareness about the facts of e-bikes, their specifications and how the state and the Manasquan Police Department are enforcing laws that come with them.
Title 39 of New Jersey’s motor vehicle laws deals directly with bicycles and includes the same regulations that are required to be followed by e-bikers. The laws in their entirety can be found in the presentation. If a rider is in violation of a motor vehicle offense and is struck by a moving vehicle or strikes a pedestrian, the rider is at fault.
Ptl. Tantum told The Coast Star, “Younger kids and parents who don’t understand how powerful the bikes actually are, for us doing the PowerPoint it definitely makes people realize how powerful the bikes are and the rules that have to be followed with them.”
According to the presentation, there are three different classes of e-bikes; 1, 2 and 3. Each e-bike is required to have a classification sticker.
A Class 1 e-bike is a “pedal assist” bicycle without a throttle and limited to a top speed of 20 miles per hour.
A Class 2 e-bike, which according to the presentation is the most popular class found in Manasquan, is defined as an e-bike that has a motor that can operate independently by using a throttle or a pedal assist feature. Depending on the features of the individual bike, Class 2 e-bikes “may need to be registered, insured and have a license to operate” according to the presentation. If the e-bike can reach speeds of over 20 mph on a flat surface, has more than 750 watts or more than 50 cc the vehicle is considered a low speed vehicle and must be registered.
According to the presentation, a Class 3 e-bike is defined as a “motorized bicycle,” with top speeds of 28 mph and requires registration and insurance, as it is a low-speed vehicle. The presentation states “any e-bikes over 28 mph can not be ridden on any public roadway even if they are registered and insured.”
The presentation list a series of enforcements that the Manasquan Police Department will take for Title 39 offenses including:
- Making stops for violations,
- Examining classification stickers,
- Radar enforcement on main roads throughout the town,
- Impoundment of e-bikes that are unregistered and uninsured if required.
In light of a collision that might result in more serious injuries, members of the Manasquan Council and Police Department urge riders and their parents to follow the rules of traffic in an effort to avoid harmful injuries and a healthy time on the road for all.
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