Savannah bike shop, residents warn of growing e-bike dangers on city streets

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Weaving through downtown squares, cutting across bike lanes, darting between parked cars — e-bikes have become a common sight on Savannah’s streets. For the people who walk, drive and ride alongside them every day, so have the close calls.

John Akins walks his dog through downtown Savannah multiple times a day. He said he sees riders ignoring traffic laws constantly.

“There are too many people down here who don’t know exactly where they are or what’s going on,” Akins said.

“As a parent, I’d literally make my kid dismount before entering the park. It’s just that simple.”

Even riders who use e-bikes daily say the danger is real. Armari Elmore, a Savannah College of Art and Design student, rides an e-bike to class and said he’s learned to ride defensively.

“I do see a lot of people just riding out into roads with cars, just nearly colliding right into them,” Elmore said. “They don’t have a care in the world.”

Elmore said he stops often to check for oncoming traffic, especially in areas where parked cars block his view.

“You really gotta be careful around here,” he said.

A shop owner’s warning

At Perry Rubber Shop, David said he’s watched the risks grow over the years, and much of it, he said, comes down to what happens after a bike is sold.

“The kids — even the parents — are going out and modifying the motors, taking the speed governor off, going above legal speeds,” David said. “Most of these bikes don’t have any kind of safety switch on them.”

David said his shop won’t sell e-bikes to minors and won’t service bikes purchased from unfamiliar online retailers, which he said are often manufactured without the same safety standards as bikes sold in stores.

He said the confusion often starts with parents who assume an electric bike is inherently safer than a gas-powered vehicle.

“An electric bike at 20 to 28 miles an hour may accelerate even faster than gasoline powered vehicles,” David said.

A county crackdown

The concerns aren’t limited to downtown Savannah. Chatham County police recently announced they are now citing parents — and in some cases, minors — for illegally operating motorized cycles and e-bikes, following months of complaints about young riders on major roads, in neighborhoods and in parks.

It’s important to note the enforcement effort was announced by Chatham County police, not the Savannah Police Department, but what Akins and Elmore describe seeing downtown shows the problem isn’t confined to county neighborhoods.

Under Georgia law, only cycles with less than 750 watts of power qualify as e-bikes. Anything more powerful is legally a motor vehicle and requires a valid driver’s license, registration and insurance.

Georgia law divides legal e-bikes into three categories:

• Class 1 (pedal assist): Motor assistance only while pedaling, capped at 20 mph. No throttle allowed. No minimum age to operate.
• Class 2 (throttle-assisted): Motor assistance up to 20 mph, with or without pedaling. Throttle allowed. No minimum age to operate.
• Class 3: Pedal-assist only, capped at 28 mph. Riders must be at least 15 years old, and helmets are required for all riders and passengers regardless of age.

What’s next

David said he doesn’t expect the problem to improve on its own.

“As time goes on, we’re seeing more and more incidents and accidents with kids on e-bikes,” he said.

For now, Akins and Elmore said the responsibility falls on riders — and the adults who buy them their bikes — to slow down and pay closer attention.