Community gathering aims to educate families on e-bike laws and safe riding practices
(CLAIR | Simi Valley, CA) – Whether you are a parent trying to understand the rules, a student who rides regularly, or a neighbor who wants to know more, this upcoming E-Bike Safety Education event is for you.
Hosted by the Simi Valley Police Department, the workshop is set to take place from 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, May 26, at the Rancho Santa Susana Community Center, located at 5005 E. Los Angeles Avenue in Simi Valley. No registration is required and everyone is welcome.
Organizers said the event is designed to give families, students and community members clear, practical information about e-bike safety and responsible riding. Attendees can expect a straightforward, accessible evening. Officers from the Traffic Bureau will walk through current laws and regulations, safe riding practices and important safety considerations for youth riders. A display of various e-bike models will be on hand so attendees can see firsthand how different types operate, what distinguishes them from one another, and what that means for how and where they can legally and safely be ridden.
There will be dedicated time for questions and open discussion with police personnel, making this as much a conversation as a presentation. Officers will also provide an overview of recent updates to the Simi Valley Municipal Code adopted by the City Council in March 2026. Those updates modernize regulations governing bicycles, e-bikes, scooters and similar devices operating on sidewalks and shared-use paths, with a focus on improving safety in pedestrian-oriented areas.
The event comes in the wake of a recent tragedy that has left a Simi Valley family grieving the loss of their 13-year-old son. The community has felt that loss, and the police department's decision to bring residents together reflects a shared desire to learn, to support one another, and to do what can be done to prevent another family from going through the same heartbreak. If there is anything meaningful that can come from such pain, it is a community that becomes more informed and is committed to looking out for its young people.
The Simi Valley Police Department said it continues to work with local schools and community partners to expand safety education, increase awareness and support responsible riding practices across the community.
Finding the Right Balance
Part of what makes e-bike safety such a layered issue is that no one wants to simply take something away from kids. Getting young people outside, moving and off screens is genuinely valuable, and e-bikes have become one of the ways many teens experience that freedom. The goal is not to eliminate that, but to make it safer.
That conversation includes harder questions about infrastructure. In communities across Ventura County and the nation, there is a growing discussion about whether dedicated riding spaces, separate from pedestrian paths and busy roads, could be part of the answer. For now, creating such a facility in Simi Valley does not appear to be a realistic near-term option, but it is exactly the kind of question worth raising in a public forum. Where do kids ride safely? What does a community need to support that? Tuesday's event offers a space to begin working through those questions together.
For more information about the E-Bike Safety Education Event, visit www.SimiValley.org/Police or call (805) 583-6950.
