From students riding e-bikes to school to commuters using scooters to reach bus stops, alternative forms of transportation are becoming increasingly common across the Lehigh Valley, prompting state lawmakers to consider new safety regulations designed to keep pace with the growing trend.

That growth was the focus of a Sept. 1 Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing at the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, where transportation planners, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, local advocates and lawmakers discussed how communities are adapting to the rapid rise of e-scooters, e-bikes and other micromobility devices. Proposed legislation would establish statewide rules for privately owned e-scooters while helping municipalities address safety concerns.

Sen. Tim Kearney, D-26th, said lawmakers are trying to create a framework that balances transportation access with public safety.

“They are devices that come with certain risks, especially for children or when ridden recklessly,” Kearney said. “We need to find a way to provide for proper regulation for these devices.”

Safety concerns have surfaced locally in recent weeks. In August, Salisbury Township police reported two separate crashes involving juveniles riding electric bicycles and scooters and reminded residents that electric scooters are not permitted on public roadways under current Pennsylvania law. Police said both crashes occurred when riders failed to stop at posted stop signs and entered the path of oncoming traffic.

Kearney said Abby’s Law, Senate Bill 1008, would establish statewide standards for privately owned e-scooters, including a minimum rider age of 16, mandatory helmet use for riders ages 16 and 17, a one-rider limit and a maximum speed of 20 mph.

“Two people on a single scooter, it’s a recipe for disaster,” Kearney said.

The proposal would also require riders to obey traffic laws, yield to pedestrians and use lights and reflectors at night.

“Our municipalities, our police departments, our neighbors and the safety of our children desperately need clarity and leadership from the legislature on this issue,” Kearney said.

Committee Chairman Sen. Nick Miller, D-14th, said lawmakers gathered testimony from transportation experts, law enforcement officials and advocates because micromobility issues are affecting communities across Pennsylvania.

“We’re seeing the challenges in urban environments, suburbs and rural areas as well,” Miller said.

One of the hearing’s strongest messages came from Becky Bradley, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, who said e-scooters, e-bikes and other mobility devices are already becoming part of daily life throughout the region.

“The toothpaste is out of the tube,” Bradley said.

She said Lehigh Valley residents already use a variety of micromobility devices to reach jobs, schools, doctor’s appointments and transit connections.

“People today in the Lehigh Valley, and actually all across the commonwealth, are using e-bikes, pedal bikes, traditional bikes, scooters, e-scooters, Jazzy mobility devices and other accessibility devices to do daily tasks,” Bradley said.

Bradley said the issue is especially important in a region that continues to grow while working to expand transportation options beyond automobiles.

“Micromobility is rapidly evolving from an emerging trend to a core component of the modern transportation system,” she said.

The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission has incorporated micromobility into several recent initiatives, including its Walk/Roll LV transportation plan, climate action planning efforts and the Lehigh Valley Trail Connection Strategy.

She said improved infrastructure remains one of the most important safety tools available.

“Protected bike lanes and pedestrian plazas are among some of the most effective tools for creating safer, equitable and accessible transportation networks,” Bradley said.

Bradley also pointed to changing travel habits among students.

“A growing number of children arrive at school on e-scooters and e-bikes,” she said.

As micromobility use expands, education must accompany any new legislation, Bradley said.

“People need clear, consistent guidance on how and where to ride,” she said.

Representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said statewide consistency is needed as micromobility devices become more common.

“The commonwealth needs statewide legal frameworks for both low-speed e-scooters and micromobility devices more broadly,” said Hank Beaver, a special assistant to the deputy secretary for multimodal transportation.

Beaver said the department believes most low-speed e-scooters should be regulated similarly to bicycles.

“Most low-speed scooters should be regulated much the same as pedal cycles,” he said.

Transportation advocates said the issue extends beyond recreation and increasingly affects how people travel throughout communities.

Samantha Pearson, healthy communities program manager for the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, and Ngani Ndimbie, director of programs for Mobilify Southwestern Pennsylvania, said micromobility devices provide affordable transportation options and help connect residents to jobs, schools and public transit.

“It’s really easy to buy something that’s marketed as an e-bike that does not meet the legal definition of an e-bike,” Ndimbie said.

Throughout the hearing, speakers emphasized that the Lehigh Valley’s growing network of trails, bike lanes and transit connections will require transportation planning that accommodates many different types of users.

Bradley said successful transportation systems must safely connect people to work, education, health care and recreation regardless of how they travel.

“If we continue to work together and refine the laws and how people can get to those jobs, those places of business, those schools, those medical appointments, those parks and recreation facilities, we will have a healthier, more sustainable and more economically attractive and resilient commonwealth,” Bradley said.

Lawmakers said testimony from the hearing will help shape future legislation as the General Assembly considers how to regulate e-scooters and other micromobility devices while balancing transportation access and public safety.