Marlborough, MA has made it clear that the roads are not a free-for-all. The Marlborough Police Department recently announced increased enforcement against e-bikes and scooters, targeting riders who are operating illegally or unsafely throughout the city.
It is a move that reflects a larger and growing tension playing out on roads across the entire Commonwealth. For a city that sits along major routes including Interstate 495 and Route 20, the stakes are real.
The Scale of the E-Bike Safety Problem Across Massachusetts
The Marlborough municipal code has had rules on motorized scooters on the books for years. Under Chapter 503 of the City of Marlborough’s municipal ordinances, no one may operate a motorized bicycle or scooter after dark, all riders must wear an approved helmet, and fines for violations start at $25 for a first offense and climb to as much as $100 for repeat offenses.
The problem is that those rules were largely going unenforced as the number of e-bikes and scooters on city streets multiplied rapidly. That is now changing.
Marlborough is not an isolated case. The situation there mirrors what is happening in communities from Boston to Milford to Plymouth. Massachusetts has watched micromobility use grow at a remarkable pace, and the injuries have grown right along with it.
According to a May 2025 MassDOT document on vulnerable road users, there were 284 motorized scooter riders and 62 motorized bicyclists involved in crashes across Massachusetts in 2024 alone.
That means well over 340 people were hurt or killed while riding powered two-wheeled micromobility devices in a single year. And experts readily acknowledge that classification inconsistencies mean some crashes involving high-powered e-bikes may be counted elsewhere in crash data, so those numbers likely undercount the full picture.
The human cost has not been abstract. In June 2025, a 13-year-old in Plymouth suffered catastrophic injuries, including 24 broken bones and brain and abdominal bleeding, after his electric dirt bike collided with a car.
In November 2025, a 13-year-old in Stoneham was killed when the electric dirt bike he was riding struck a car. And in August 2025, a delivery driver on an e-bike struck a 64-year-old man outside the Boston Public Library, an incident that shocked residents and lawmakers alike.
Nearby Milford tells a similar story at the local level. The Milford Police Department reported a “troubling surge in unsafe and illegal e-bike operation” in 2025, and their police chief stated that in his thirty years as a paramedic, he had never seen such a rise in brain injuries as those caused by e-bikes in his community.
That kind of crash tends to be severe. Head injuries, spinal trauma, and broken bones are among the most common injuries after accidents involving unprotected riders, and the outcomes are often far worse than what drivers in enclosed vehicles experience.
What Massachusetts Law Currently Says About E-Bikes and Scooters
Part of what makes enforcement so difficult is that the legal landscape has been genuinely confusing for everyone involved, riders, drivers, and police officers alike. Under existing Massachusetts law, Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are defined as bicycles equipped with an electric motor of 750 watts or less that stops providing assistance when the rider reaches 20 mph.
These are legally treated as bicycles and can use bike lanes. Higher-powered devices, including e-mopeds, e-dirt bikes, and souped-up scooters, are supposed to follow motor vehicle rules, but the definitions have been murky and enforcement inconsistent.
Helmets are required for anyone under 17 riding a bicycle, e-bike, or scooter on a public way in Massachusetts, but riders 17 and older face no such requirement under current state law for standard e-bikes, even though safety advocates strongly recommend helmet use for all ages regardless.
The growth in ridership has been striking. The Bluebikes shared bike system in Greater Boston logged 4,734,042 trips in 2024 alone, a record-breaking year for the system, which also added its first fleet of e-bikes in December 2023.
That kind of volume means that even a small rate of unsafe behavior translates into a meaningful number of dangerous situations on the road, and it shows up in the latest accident reports from Massachusetts more and more frequently.
Governor Healey’s Ride Safe Act and What It Would Change
In May 2026, Governor Maura Healey filed what her administration called “first-in-the-nation” legislation to address the crisis directly. The bill, dubbed the Ride Safe Act, proposes a speed-based framework that would impose different rules depending on how fast a device can travel, rather than trying to categorize devices by type. The higher the top speed, the stricter the requirements.
Under the proposal, higher-speed devices would be prohibited from sidewalks, bike lanes, and other high-risk areas. Modifications that push a device beyond its manufacturer speed limits would be restricted.
Law enforcement would receive clear authority to apply consistent rules and penalties across all device types, closing the loopholes that currently make enforcement a guessing game. The Registry of Motor Vehicles would gain authority to respond quickly to new technologies without waiting for additional legislation.
The bill builds on the work of the 15-member Special Commission on Micromobility, which filed its report with the Massachusetts Legislature in January 2026 after meeting five times throughout 2025.
The commission issued 16 public policy recommendations, including a statewide 20 mph speed limit on shared-use paths, a new “micro ID” registration sticker to help police identify higher-speed devices, improved crash reporting, and better police training.
A Joint Committee on Transportation hearing on the Ride Safe Act was scheduled for May 28, 2026.
How E-Bike and Scooter Crashes Fit Into Massachusetts’s Broader Road Safety Picture
While the focus on e-bikes is new, the vulnerability of two-wheeled road users in Massachusetts is not. MassDOT data from its IMPACT crash portal shows there were 71 motorcycle operator fatalities in Massachusetts in 2024, a 22 percent increase over the 58 fatalities recorded in 2023.
Bicyclists have historically accounted for roughly 2 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities statewide, averaging about seven deaths per year between 2017 and 2021.
The pattern that emerges from the data is consistent: people on two wheels, with or without a motor, face dramatically higher risks when things go wrong.
Crashes that might be minor fender-benders between two cars become life-altering or fatal when one of the parties is on an e-bike or scooter with no protective structure around them.
That reality is part of why a motorcycle crash risks and what to do after an accident guide remains one of the most relevant resources for anyone riding two wheels in Massachusetts, whether their bike has a gas engine, an electric motor, or neither.
Frequently Asked Questions: E-Bikes and Scooters in Massachusetts
Are e-bikes legal to ride on Massachusetts roads?
Yes, Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes with motors of 750 watts or less are treated as bicycles under Massachusetts law and may be ridden on roads and bike paths, though local ordinances like Marlborough’s can impose additional restrictions.
Do you need a helmet to ride an e-bike in Massachusetts?
Riders under 17 are legally required to wear a helmet on an e-bike or scooter on public roads; riders 17 and older are not currently required to do so under state law, though safety advocates strongly recommend it for all ages.
What is the Ride Safe Act?
The Ride Safe Act is legislation filed by Governor Healey in May 2026 that proposes a speed-based framework to regulate e-bikes, mopeds, and scooters statewide, with clearer rules and stronger enforcement authority for police.
What should I do if I am involved in a crash with an e-bike or scooter in Massachusetts?
Call 911, seek medical attention, and request an official police report as soon as possible, since that report will be the key document for any insurance claim or legal process that follows.
Stay Updated on Massachusetts Traffic Safety With Local Accident Reports
Massachusetts roads are changing fast. New vehicles, new laws, and ongoing enforcement actions mean that what applied last year may not apply today. Whether you are a driver, a cyclist, a scooter rider, or a pedestrian sharing the road with all of them, staying informed is one of the most practical things you can do to protect yourself.
If you or someone you know has been involved in a crash anywhere in Massachusetts, Local Accident Reports can help. We track the latest accident news and updates from across the state, and we can help you obtain a free copy of the official police report from the responding agency. Getting that report may be the first and most important step after any collision.
Reach out to us anytime at 888-657-1460 or visit our website to request your free police report and stay connected to verified traffic safety news from Massachusetts and beyond.
