10/05/2026
Questions about ebikes, e-motos, etc? Come to the library tomorrow night!
✨SPECIAL EVENT!✨Join BikeWalk Wi******er and WPD Chief Ronnie Lewis and a panel of other experts for a special Open Community Meeting addressing the issue of ‼️E-Motos.‼️
Oct. 6 | 6:00PM | Handley Library
👉Share what you've seen, ask your questions, learn about current rules and regulations and help us define the problem.
👉Submit your questions ahead of time: https://www.bikewalkwinchester.org/event-details/e-bikes-e-motos-our-city-2026-10-06-18-00
Submit all questions by Friday, Oct. 2, 2026.
👉Background:
True electric bicycles (e-bikes) are a welcome innovation, making cycling more accessible regardless of age, fitness, or transportation needs.
E-motos, however, are high-speed, unregulated vehicles that are far more powerful and much faster than legally defined e-bikes. These devices can be shaped like bicycles and are often equipped with pedals. When marketed as bikes, they lead parents to believe they are purchasing a bicycle when they may actually be buying a high-speed motor vehicle for their child.
Addressing dangerous riding is critical to improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and riders themselves. But right now, confusion around definitions makes enforcement and safety difficult. Virginia law already distinguishes true e-bikes (limited to 750 watts and can't go above 20 mph without pedal assist) from mopeds and motorcycles, but where do these new e-motos fit?
What regulations currently apply? What can our city do next?
There will be an educational presentation on e-bikes versus e-motos, followed by a panel discussion with local officials, e-bike riders, pedestrian advocates, and others to answer your questions about what's currently being done and what can be done in the future.
