LAFAYETTE, La. — If you drive around the University of Louisiana at Lafayette's campus or downtown Lafayette, you’ve likely noticed the increasing presence of e-bikes and e-scooters cruising along the streets.
These electric vehicles have become a popular mode of transportation for many, including UL student Dwayne Thompson, who relies on them to make his commute to class more efficient.
Thompson, a junior at UL Lafayette, has been riding his e-bike for about two years.
"It kind of helps me get to class," he says. "Maybe I’ll leave the house at 10:10 and my class is at 10:20 and I'm able to get there in five minutes versus where I would be late a lot of the time if I did wake up late.”
According to Laborde Earles, a law firm in the Hub City, Louisiana legalized electric scooters in 2019, allowing users to operate them on sidewalks, bicycle paths, and streets where the speed limit is 25 mph or less.
The Louisiana Legislature amended its laws to treat e-bikes as bicycles. E-bikes have an electric motor that runs off of a rechargeable battery. The electric motor distinguishes e-bikes from mopeds with gasoline engines.
Under Louisiana law, e-bikes fall into three classes:
- Class I has an electric motor to assist the cyclist up to 20 miles per hour
- Class II has an electric motor to propel the bicycle up to 20 miles per hour
- Class III has an electric motor to assist the cyclist up to 28 miles per hour
All classes of e-bikes qualify as bicycles and fall under the state's bike laws, according to People Powered Movement.
Sgt. Robin Green of the Lafayette Police Department advises riders to use available bike paths for a safer experience.
"There’s a lot of bike paths, so we strongly encourage them to utilize the paths if they are available," Sgt. Green said. "If there is no shoulder or no bike path, we asked them to obey the traffic laws when utilizing the roadway."
Green also emphasized safety tips for those using motorized bikes or scooters on the roadways or sidewalks:
- Wear a helmet
- Avoid distractions like using a cellphone or wearing headphones
- Be aware of your surroundings and take a second to look around before accelerating
- Be mindful of road conditions
For Thompson, the choice to ride an e-bike is practical.
“I personally haven’t gotten a car yet, because of the fact I don’t think I can pay for insurance on it monthly. So having a scooter does help with that because I can actually get to some places, I can’t go to far but I can use it to get to places I wouldn’t have been able to," he tells KATC.
