E-BIKES AND ELECTRIC SCOOTERS were on full display in Boston on a recent warm, summer afternoon during a quick walk from Beacon Hill to North Station. Riders wove in and out of traffic, through bike lanes, and onto sidewalks as, just up the hill, House lawmakers passed new guidance on these increasingly common modes of transportation in a broad end-of-session economic development bill.

The new regulations would create a framework that would regulate these devices according to their maximum speed. The bill is before the Senate this week, and the Senate’s version also includes micromobility regulations.

Micromobility, an umbrella term for non-vehicular forms of transportation, encompasses a wide range of modes, including e-bicycles, e-scooters, and other small, motor-powered devices alongside more traditional, human-powered transport like bicycles and skateboards. 

Under the bill, any device that is human-powered would be considered part of the “speed tier 0” and be allowed on sidewalks. A device capable of operating between 21 and 30 miles per hour would fall into “speed tier 1” and be allowed in bike lanes but not on sidewalks or other shared-use pathways.

Speed tier 2 and 3 devices, which operate up to and exceeding 40 miles per hour respectively, would not be allowed on bikeways, sidewalks, or shared-use paths. 

The proposal largely reflects language from Gov. Maura Healey’s Ride Safe Act, introduced in May, and recommendations from the Special Committee on Micromobility’s 2026 report.

Beyond speed, the bill also places age-based restrictions on who is allowed to use powered devices, banning anyone under 16 from operating one and requiring riders younger than 16 to wear a helmet while using a human-powered device. Protective headgear would be required for adults when riding a vehicle capable of traveling faster than 20 miles per hour.

“My daughter and I often take bike rides, and I can’t tell you how many times we’re looking left and right to make sure somebody isn’t whizzing by us at 25 miles an hour and going to clip us,” said Rep. James Arciero, chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation and member of the Special Committee on Micromobility. “Sidewalks especially can get dangerous when there’s not any sort of regulation to get our arms around faster devices, which is exactly what this bill is trying to put in place.”

In distinguishing these forms of transportation by speed rather than device type, Massachusetts is creating rules that apply broadly and can accommodate new modes of transportation, said Galen Mook, executive director of MassBike, an advocacy and educational organization promoting safer and more accessible bicycling in the state.

“There’s new devices that really just don’t fit into any of these frameworks, and that’s the challenge,” he said. “If a new device pops up, creating a law to help regulate that one specific device is something we’re trying to avoid with this legislation. We’re really trying to build a framework that allows us to think broader than just one device versus another device.”

The rapid growth and quickly changing technology have outpaced the ability of regulations to keep up, leaving riders, local officials, and law enforcement without a clear understanding of how these devices should be operated safely.

In Massachusetts, this has resulted in a patchwork of local regulations.

For instance, motorized bikes and scooters are restricted to a maximum speed of 20 miles per hour in Marlborough. In Fall River, e-scooters are prohibited from operating on sidewalks or other public property. In November 2025, Agawam banned e-scooters from roads with speed limits exceeding 30 miles per hour.

The bill sets up a statewide framework, leaving flexibility to localities for further regulation.

“Specific jurisdictional oversight around sidewalks and pathways is really dependent on the local community, and different needs fit different communities,” said Mook. “Those lines really have a local sensitivity that I think is fair to still allow local jurisdictions to regulate.”

The bill comes as the popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters has surged.

According to the Special Committee on Micromobility’s report, more than one million e-bikes were sold in the United States in 2022, nearly four times the number sold in 2019.

In Massachusetts, which ranks fifth in the nation for roadway congestion and where the average resident spends more than 90 hours a year sitting in traffic, these forms of transportation offer an alternative to driving. More than half of all trips taken by Massachusetts drivers are fewer than three miles — a distance easily traveled by electric bikes and scooters.

The Boston area’s popular bike-share system, Bluebikes, recorded more than 4.5 million trips on traditional bicycles and e-bikes in 2025.

The demand for affordable transportation has also grown. An e-bike voucher program run by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center in 2025 drew interest from more than 10,000 applicants, though only about 3,000 vouchers were ultimately awarded. On July 20, applications will open for Boston’s E-Bike Incentive Program, which offers vouchers to income-eligible adults.

Beyond easing congestion, supporters say the devices can also help the Commonwealth meet its climate goals. Massachusetts officials estimate transportation accounts for more than one-third of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Across the US, shared bicycle and scooter systems offset more than 100 million pounds of carbon dioxide in 2024, according to the North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association.

However, as the use of e-bikes, e-scooters, and mopeds has increased in the state, safety concerns have grown as well. Nationally, emergency department visits for micromobility-related injuries have nearly tripled between 2017 and 2022, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And younger riders have been disproportionately affected; children 14 and younger accounted for 36 percent of micromobility-related injuries during that period, despite only representing 18 percent of the US population.

In Massachusetts, the Special Commission on Micromobility found that crashes increasingly involve delivery workers, pedestrians, and younger riders. However, the full scope of these incidents remains unclear. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation recorded about 1,600 bicycle-related crashes in 2025, 0.5 percent of which involved a fatality. However, because the agency only tracks crashes involving a motor vehicle, the total number of incidents involving micromobility devices is likely higher.

Recently Louisa Gag, a transportation planner for Boston, was fatally struck while biking on Tremont Street. 

These trends have heightened pressure on state officials to establish clearer, more consistent rules. Though the bill takes a first step, it leaves many implementation details to a working group composed of state officials, municipal representatives, industry leaders, advocates, insurers, and public safety officials.

The working group would also examine ways to create a standardized method for reporting crashes and make recommendations on registration, speed limits, and other safety standards.

“By the time these rules take full effect, we’ll have a clearer, safer system for everyone,” Arciero said. “People will still have flexible ways to get around – the difference is that they’ll be better protected when they do.”