For the past 20 years, Orange County Codified Ordinance OCCO 2-5-29(n) prohibited the use of all motorized conveyances, including electric bicycles (eBikes) on all County bikeways and trails.
On July 17, 2018, the Board of Supervisors passed a revision to the ordinance, making the following exception: “Class 1 and Class 2 electric bicycles, as defined by the California Vehicle Code, on those regional paved, off-road bikeways designated for such use by the Director of OC Parks.”
Currently, this means that Class 1 and 2 eBikes are now permitted on more than 75 miles of Orange County bikeways including:
- Coyote Creek Bikeway in Buena Park, La Mirada, La Habra, and Los Alamitos.
- Santa Ana River Bikeway.
- Bay View Bikeway at Upper Newport Bay in Newport Beach.
- San Diego Creek Bikeway in Irvine and Newport Beach.
- Peters Canyon Bikeway in Orange and Irvine.
- Hicks Canyon Bikeway in Irvine.
- Aliso Creek Bikeway (section north of Awma Road) in Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, and Aliso Viejo.
- Salt Creek Bikeway in Dana Point.
- San Juan Creek Bikeway in Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano.
Due to safety concerns, all classes of eBikes continue to be prohibited on unpaved trails within regional and wilderness parks where there is reduced long-distance visibility and/or width to accommodate trail users who need to veer out of the path of another user traveling at a high rate of speed.
