OCPD chief says reckless operation will be prime reason for police stops
OCEAN CITY — Not much will change for the Ocean City Police Department after the state’s new E-bike regulations went into effect July 19 — officers will continue to enforce traffic laws based on observable offenses in an effort to make the streets safer and the vehicles will continue to be permitted on the boardwalk.
Chief William Campbell said last week that the department will treat the first year, during which the Motor Vehicle Commission has waived some fees, as an educational period.
The new law requires riders to register and insure the vehicles, wear helmets and follow all rules of the road.
The law, signed Jan. 19 by former Gov. Phil Murphy as one of his final actions in office, was created following a series of fatal accidents. It provided a six-month grace period before taking effect.
The law treats all classes of E-bikes the same. Previously, they were divided into three categories. Class 1 — pedal-assisted and able to reach a maximum speed of 20 mph. Class 2 — both pedal-assist and a throttle with a maximum speed of 20 mph. Class 3 — pedal-assist up to 28 mph and throttle up to 28 mph; legally treated like motorized bicycles.
Riders now must be at least 15 years old, wear a helmet and have a license, registration and insurance. A motorized bicycle license requires passing written and road tests. Riders 17 and older need only a traditional driver’s license. The MVC has waived the examination fee for one year.
“For the most part, any tickets or stops regarding E-bikes will be because of how they are being operated, if they are being operated carelessly or not obeying traffic signs. That will be the primary means in which officers are enforcing them,” he said.
Campbell said the OCPD would be issuing verbal warnings for violations of the new rules and continue to ticket moving violations.
The chief said the state has not provided guidance on how the law applies to out-of-state riders. He said he was directing officers that it does not apply to them until he got further information.
However, if riders run a red light and are cited for that, the penalty would be the same fine as it would for driving a car through a red light.
Campbell said the biggest issue the department has with E-bikes is people riding them irresponsibly.
“What it boils down to, it’s the same issues with people driving cars. Those operating them recklessly or carelessly, not obeying the rules, are subject to being stopped and issued a summons. The same would apply to E-bikes,” he said.
Despite the law treating E-bikes as motor vehicles, Campbell said unless City Council makes an ordinance change, the vehicles are still permitted on the boardwalk.
Locally, E-bikes have posed problems for police for years. After Campbell took over in 2023, the department began working with local businesses to promote their safe operation.
“I think it’s important because we have had complaints about people riding E-bikes unsafely, on the boardwalk and through the streets, and the age group more frequently than not is teens, young riders,” Campbell said at the time.
The department partnered with OCPBA local 61, which provided funds to purchase vouchers for two slices of pizza and a drink from local pizza shops that provided a discount for the program.
Sgt. Chris Vivarelli said the department would hand out vouchers after stopping and addressing youths seen operating their bikes properly and/or wearing a helmet and engaging them in conversation and providing safety tips.
“The idea is focused on younger teens to try to provide some incentive for them to ride E-bikes or bicycles safely, wear a helmet and stop at signs,” he said at the time.
In November 2023, Councilman Tony Polcini’s son crashed his E-bike, suffering serious injury that required transportation via helicopter to Cooper University Hospital.
Last year, following an alarming incident in which he nearly struck two young E-bike riders, Mayor Jay Gillian called for state-level regulations of the popular transports.
“Two young E-bike riders riding on the wrong side of the road flew through a red light and into the path of my vehicle. Only the grace of God saved their lives,” Gillian wrote in his August monthly mayor’s message. “The near-miss shook me to my core. This is a situation that plays out daily throughout our town and state as more and more young and inexperienced riders obtain E-bikes.”
Gillian applauded the law’s passage in January.
“A lot of vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians share Ocean City’s roads. It’s a dangerous mix, given the speed and sometimes recklessness of E-bike operators old and young,” he stated in a news release the following day. “Public safety will always remain a top priority for this administration and for America’s Greatest Family Resort. Protecting young riders is especially important. ”
Dennis Tapp, mayor of Somers Point — where a teen was killed July 16, 2025, when his E-bike collided with a car at the intersection of the bike path and Maryland Avenue — likewise was pleased with the law.
“I applaud the governor to have the courage to sign that legislation,” he said. “I truly believe this is long-overdue and long-overlooked.”
Tapp believes the law will force parents to think twice before buying their children one of the vehicles.
“What that’s going to do is make parents more cognizant of the dangers — they are now liable for all of this,” he said. “I think parents will take a greater role than just ordering online and saying, ‘Here you go, have fun.’”
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff