Teenage E-Bikers Causing Some Recent Havoc in Bonita-Sunnyside
- Susan Heavilin
- 17 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Parents, do you know where your children are?
Up until a few weeks ago, I knew nothing about e-bikes in our area.
I was aware that Coronado residents were complaining about e-bikes on the tourist-packed Paseo de Mar that winds between the historic Hotel del Coronado and the blue Pacific Ocean. 619NewsMedia videoed and wrote a story about teens riding their e-bikes over the Coronado Bridge, not an real intelligent move considering the escape route is risky. And I even heard of Coronado drivers who tried to avoid collisions with inattentive e-bikers and flipped their cars. Coronado now has regulations.
Twelve days ago, NBCSanDiego did a news story of e-bikers popping wheelies on I-5. The video mentioned that Rady Children's Hospital recorded a whopping 262 e-bike injuries last year, some with serious traumas. If you're a parent of an e-biker, I suggest sitting down with them and watching this three-minute video together.
"Unintentional Injuries are the #1 cause of death, making up over 30% of adolescent fatalities, with motor vehicle accidents and drug poisonings/overdoses being the most common causes." —BetterHelp.
In September of 2025, neighboring Chula Vista implemented new e-bike regulations. The city was apparently having problems with reckless riding, sidewalk riding and unsafe speeds . . . especially in the Eastlake area.
San Diego County does not appear to have any regulations on the subject and only has an Electric Bike Fact Sheet. I was told by a resident that law enforcement shows up only to be evaded.
How Safe Are Electric Bikes at Night?
According to Electric Bike Explorer, "visibility is a major concern. Over 56% of bike-related fatalities happen at night or in low-light conditions.
Reflective gear, front and rear lights, and proper route planning are essential if you wonder is it safe to ride an e-bike at night?
Stay on well-lit streets and avoid wearing dark clothing. Many new e-bikes come with built-in lights . . . use them."
Not a lot of roadways in the Bonita-Sunnyside area are well lit. Some are just plain pitch black. Riding at dusk or dark could present a problem because the rider is often wearing dark clothes and the e-bikes, themselves, tend to be darker with little color.
Park Rangers Frustrated With E-bikers
The SDC Fact Sheet listed above states that the Sweetwater Bike Park and the trails are closed to use by all classes of electric bicycles.
Yet the Park Rangers have chased the e-bikes out of the Bike Park on several occasions.
The e-bikers are tearing up the footing by revving their "motors" and spinning their tires. This creates ruts that are dangerous to the regular bike riders for which the Bike Park was constructed.
Walkers and equestrians alike have witnessed the e-bikes on many trails, all the way to the reservoir.
Locals Reporting Various Incidents with E-bike Riders
The first time I heard about this rather large group of e-bikers was about two or so weeks ago. They had zoomed noisily down a private easement road, just feet from the homes. It's hard to imagine these episodes until you actually view the size of the group.
The next sighting (that I was told about) was just a few days ago. Heading west on Sweetwater Road, the group was turning left at the Central Avenue light. Being a large group of approximately 20 e-bikes, the line was strung out over quite a distance. The first of the group turned on the green light, the middle of the group on yellow and the stragglers turned on red. Being that cars traveling east on Sweetwater at Central have a right turn lane—and I'm not sure there is a yield sign posted—this was an accident waiting to happen. Is it legal to be on the road if you're under 16 years old and don't have a driver's license?
It was a follow-the-leader scenario which can be dangerous when the leader is not watching out for the safety of the followers. I'm sure that you're probably familiar with "gang mentality".
Gang Mentality Collective Identity is when the individuals define themselves by their belonging to the group, often acting more recklessly as part of a group than they would alone.—Core Aspects of Gang Mentality | Google
Friday night, I heard all about the group driving through commercial parking lots, with many cars backing up and probably not expecting a hard-to-see e-bike. Are they even visible in the rear view mirror?
Some bad apples in the group were flipping off proprietors and yelling "F*ck You" as they sped by. The parking lot I am referring to is the home of Starbucks, the Post Office, Hans & Harry's Bakery, Bonita Hot Yoga, Bonita Farmers' Market, Caribe and Kentucky Fried Chicken . . . all high traffic businesses.
The business owner that related this story was highly agitated by the group, their boldness and their cussing and asked me to write about it in this community paper.
A group of e-bikes headed down the access road just north of Rohr Park Horse Arena where the BVH Ranch Riding Clinic was taking place this past Saturday. They appeared to have little regard for spooking the horses tied to trailers or slowing down as an act of courtesy. In fact, they basically appeared oblivious to the world they were passing through. That started the conversation with plenty of people telling stories of encounters with the local e-bike group.
As the narrative flowed, an e-biker traveled west on the horse/walking trail south of the arena. He paid little attention to the walkers on the pathway. The evidence was piling up.
Yet another resident told me of an e-bike buzzing up next to his horse on the dirt horse trail, spooking the horse. (Motorized vehicles are unlawful on the trails. Trails are for the sole use of horses, runners, walkers and mountain bikes.) The rider tried to explain how horses will kick when spooked but the cyclist did not stick around for the conversation. Mumbling and cursing under his breath, the e-biker sped off. The equestrian caught up with the kid at the light and told him it wasn't cool.
Early Saturday afternoon, I had my first encounter with the e-bikers. I was headed east on San Miguel Road when an e-biker headed west did a pop-up wheelie for a very large length of road. It was a full wheelie with the bike being totally perpendicular to the road. It happened so fast that I did not have time to catch a photo. A resident reported three separate kids doing full wheelies down San Miguel Road about the same time.
As I approached the intersection to Proctor Valley, there they were . . . the entire group. This time I captured a picture for you all to see. They were grabbing some refreshment at the local frutas stand on the corner.
I took several shots, which they observed, and they waved for the camera.
As has happened in other towns, this may be starting to get a little out-of-control. I don't want to see any of these kids injured in a collision with a vehicle or a wipeout. Most are wearing helmets but don't have protective gear were they to make contact with the asphalt.
"E-bike injuries have been rising steadily in recent years. Hospital data shows that from 2017 to 2022, U.S. hospitals treated over 53,000 e-bike-related injuries, increasing from 3,500 in 2017 to 24,400 in 2022, with common injuries including head trauma, fractures, road rash, and spine injuries." —Scripps Health
If I may be so bold, I recommend that e-biker parents get their kids some e-bike safety training before just turning them loose.
Scripps Health Injury Prevention Course (partnering with the American Bicycling Education Association) is "taking the lead to help your teen be a safe and responsible rider." This is a teen class and is FREE to San Diego County teens. Lessons include:
Battery safety, brake inspection and bike security
Safety equipment
Rules of movement and traffic law
Lines, signs and signals on roads and bikeways
How crashes happen and how to avoid them
How speed and skill affect stopping distance
Essential communication skills
Best practices for riding in a group
