As more people are choosing to get around the commonwealth on low-impact, personal electric devices, we’re seeing a reactionary and fragmented response for regulations that run the risk of limiting the mobility choices of people in their day to day travels. At the same time, a lack of regulations or enforcement prevents jurisdictions from taking steps for the safe use of micromobility, leading to real concerns of conflicts on their roads, paths, and sidewalks. 

To address this, Governor Healey has filed a bill S.3077, An Act to Enhance the Safe Use of Micromobility Devices, related to the regulations and definitions of micromobility, to tackle the confusion we’re seeing related to scooters, e-bikes, mopeds, and the various personal mobility devices that vary in speeds from skateboards to e-bikes to electric motorcycles.

You can read the bill here. A hearing on the bill is scheduled by the Joint Committee on Transportation for Thursday 05/28/2026 at 1pm. The hearing is in-person and virtual, and you can submit written testimony both in advance and afterward. Learn how to participate in the hearing here.

An Act to Enhance the Safe Use of Micromobility Devices is the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s follow up on the Special Commission on Micromobility report, which met over the past year and released recommendations for action at the end of January. The Commission, which included MassBike, other advocates, industry leaders, police officers, and the Chairs of the Transportation Committee, produced 16 recommendations, many of which are incorporated into this bill.

Of particular importance in this piece of legislation are the elements to create a Speed-Based Classification Schema, which would allow for a wide range of devices to be categorized, and then regulated, based on their top speed. Speed ranges are 0-20mph, 21-30mph, 31-40mph, and 40+mph. This is different than how the State has typically addressed transportation, since legislators working with the administrations over the years have crafted specific definitions for the various modes of transportation, and for years this method has created a cobbled-together list of tightly defined vehicles, which includes motorized bicycles (which are confused with e-bikes), scooters, low-speed motor vehicles, and more.

But the legislative process is reactive, and to get a bill all the way through to law is complex, convoluted, and slow. For micromobility, what we’re seeing out in the world these days does not wait for laws, and people are out on devices that change much faster than the legislature can act if we’re looking to have a “whack-a-mole” strategy of defining each device one-by-one. For instance, our work to pass basic low-speed e-bike definitions took several legislative sessions, even though e-bikes have been bought, sold, and ridden in the state for decades.

So this bill seeks to address the predictive needs by creating categories that allow current and future devices to be easily categorized. Once we know what category a device falls in, it will then be easier to determine the device requirements (lights, horns, speedometers, etc), operational requirements (helmet, registration, license, etc), and travel allowances (roads, paths, sidewalks). We’ve got a video on our YouTube page that helps explain the recommendation. The schema is designed to not only address the current concerns of the confusion we’re seeing out there, but to also plan for the evolution of how these devices may roll out going forward. We’re seeking “future proof” categories so we don’t need to go back to the legislature for a definition every time a new device appears on our roads and paths.

Of note specific to e-bikes, this classification schema would keep Class-1 and Class-2 e-bikes (with top speed of assist at 20mph) in a low tier category that still mostly allows the same allowances and regulations as “analog” bicycles. However, Class-3 e-bikes (ones that have motors to help up to 28mph) would be in a higher tier category and thus banned from bicycle paths, require helmets for all riders, and prohibit anyone under 16 years old from riding.

The Governor’s bill, following the Commission’s recommendations, is also designed to expand the use of the micromobility, since as a society we want to encourage people to choose not to drive. We know almost 60% of all trips in Massachusetts are under 3 miles, and 80% of these trips are made by cars. These trips can easily be covered by micromobility such as e-bikes, scooters, one-wheels, etc. and that’s why these have become so popular in recent years. Truly we are seeing the future of transportation, we're excited about where it will take us.

However, though we support the bill, there are a few elements that MassBike expects to still work with the Transportation Committee to iron out. We believe that regardless of top speed, micromobility users are also vulnerable users, and regardless of top speed should not be inherently banned from safe infrastructure. Just like any vehicle, these devices can be ridden at safe speeds where contextually appropriate, and we should not seek a blanket ban that keeps people off pathways and sidewalks, and forces them onto dangerous roadways, as long as users can navigate within the speed limits and yield rights of way to pedestrians. For instance, Onewheels, which can have a top speed that would put them in Tier 2, can just as easily go 10mph and be safe and low-impact. Their riders do not have protections of motor vehicles, so we believe they should not risk their life mixing with motor vehicles. This is similar to how we equate other vehicles on our roads: a driver can still drive their Maserati in a school zone as long as they keep it to 20mph.

As this specific bill is open for public input, we encourage you to contribute to the conversation by submitting testimony to the Joint Committee on Transportation. Please let the committee members know how important creating a clear course for defining and regulating micromobility is to you and your community, and how we can act now to set a foundation for a future of transportation that incorporates and encourages the use of these low-impact, economical, environmentally friendly vehicles.

For written testimony, you may submit testimony via email attachment to Siobhán Morrissey at ([email protected] and CC [email protected]) or you may physically mail testimony to the House Chair:

CHAIR JAMES ARCIERO
JOINT COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
ATTN: SIOBHÁN MORRISSEY
24 BEACON ST
ROOM 134
BOSTON MA  02133