UC High is seeing a surge in E-bike (Electric bike) users in the 2024-2025 school year due to their increased accessibility and convenience for students compared to cars.
According to a website about bikes, “E-bikes have grown in popularity around the world, with 19.4 percent of the population having them” (peopleforbikes.org).
According to NBC News, “For many, the benefits of riding an E-bike outweigh the detriments; however, there are many dangers associated with riding E-bikes. Last year, around 36 percent of those injured in E-bike crashes were minors” (nbc.com).
Junior Kimora Jara Rojas explained her hesitancy to support the rise of E-bikes on campus. She said, “Although E-bikes are good for the environment, it seems like I can’t even walk through the parking lot without almost getting hit by an E-bike. I’ve definitely noticed more people using them, I just think that it’s dangerous.”
“While I do understand that E-bikes are expensive, they are better for students in the long run, because you don’t need to pay for gas everyday. They are a great way to get around without a Driver’s License. I’m sure it’s really helpful for students too young to drive, along with the parents of these students so they don’t have to waste gas or time driving them places,” Junior Valerie Padilla
Junior Marina Garcia said, “I’ve personally noticed that E-bikes have been getting way more popular in school areas, and I think this is because despite the dangers these bikes might have, E-bikes happen to be way easier to use since they’re electric and you don’t have to put as much effort in like you do with other bikes when it comes to peddling. This especially helps with the hill some of us have to take to get to and from school.”
Junior Jazmyn Williams is not happy about the rise in popularity that these bikes are experiencing. “These bikes are definitely one of the more dangerous modes of transportation that you can have. I don’t think children or students under the age of 18 should be allowed to ride these things because it’s so dangerous. So many kids have gotten hit by cars or have had accidents in general. Even people just walking have been hit. I think E-bikes can have benefits, but I do not think it is worth the risk of crashing or getting hit.”
“I personally don’t own an E-bike and don’t really think much of them, but I don’t think I would own one myself because of how the cars around here don’t pay attention to bikes driving by. I wouldn’t know how to ride it but I also think half the people at this school don’t know how to ride E-bikes. I’ve seen many kids almost crash while leaving school,” said Junior Bayan Alhourani.
According to a site called the National Library of Medicine, it is estimated that over 3,000 E-bike riders in the United States that are between the ages of 2 and 18 years old have gotten so badly injured while riding that they have ended up in emergency rooms (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).