CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — After months of calls from residents for clearer rules on electric bicycles, the City of Charleston is moving to adopt new regulations to improve safety on streets and sidewalks.
City leaders said the rapid rise in e-bike use has outpaced the city’s ordinances. E-bike sales have nearly quadrupled since 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Officials said some bikes now being used in the city are powerful enough to qualify as mopeds or motorcycles under state law but are operating in spaces typically reserved for traditional bicycles.
As a first step, the city plans to formally adopt a definition of an electric bicycle. Charleston currently does not have one in its municipal code…