Cary weighs new e-bike rules as complaints, safety concerns rise

More than 219 Cary police calls tied to e-bikes since January 2025 have turned what many families saw as a convenience into a public-safety debate. Town leaders are now weighing whether new rules should focus on speed, visibility and teenage riders before summer brings more traffic to greenways, school routes and neighborhood streets.

The complaints have centered on riders moving fast enough that pedestrians do not hear them until they are already close. Cary residents have raised concerns about close passes on shared trails, and one councilmember said she had her own near miss on a trail, which helped move the issue higher on the town agenda. For a town built around heavily used commuter roads and a wide trail network, the question is no longer whether e-bikes belong here, but where they can be used safely and who should be allowed to ride them.

State law already gives Cary some room to act. A 2025 North Carolina Senate bill says electric-assisted bicycles are generally permitted on roadways, bicycle lanes and shared-use paths, but it also allows cities and counties to regulate them on shared-use paths and greenways. The same bill would let local governments require helmets for riders under 18 on Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes. That means any Cary rule would hit hardest in the places families use most, especially greenways and trails where younger riders often mix with walkers, runners and strollers.

The issue became more concrete at the end of April, when Cary police charged two parents with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and allowing an unlicensed minor to drive. Their 15-year-old also faced several traffic charges tied to alleged careless and reckless driving. North Carolina law already makes it unlawful to knowingly permit an unlicensed minor under 18 to drive a motor vehicle on a highway, and Cary officers have been using that statute to frame at least part of the enforcement problem.

Town leaders have not settled on whether education, enforcement or both should drive the response. Cary’s mayor has said any ordinance would need practical enforcement tools and would likely create more work for police. That warning matters in a town where officers have already logged a steady stream of e-bike calls, ranging from rule questions to reports of reckless behavior.

Cary’s open-data portal shows the town already publishes police incidents publicly, though juvenile-related reports are excluded to protect identities. Nearby Holly Springs has already adopted its own ordinances and code-compliance process, giving Cary a nearby model as it decides how far to go. With summer riding season approaching, the town’s next move could shape how teens, parents and daily riders use Cary’s streets and trails.