William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews Editor
Electric scooters and electric bikes have flooded into Gloucester City and surrounding towns, and the results are becoming harder to ignore. What began as a convenient way to get around has quickly turned into a safety problem for anyone who uses our sidewalks, jogging paths, or neighborhood streets responsibly.
The danger isn’t theoretical. On my daily walks with Sweetie, I’ve had kids on these motorized bikes come up behind us without a sound. These machines make no noise, so you can’t hear them approaching until they’re already on top of you. More than once, a rider has blown past us at high speed, leaving no time to react. In one instance, a teenager on an e‑bike came straight at the dog and me, expecting us to move aside. I was forced to step off the path or be hit. That’s not “sharing the road”—that’s intimidation.
Recently, we also heard of an electric scooter allegedly striking a pedestrian at the Johnson Boulevard Jogging Track in Gloucester City. That didn’t surprise us. We’ve watched riders whip around that park as if safety rules apply only to someone else. Not long after, we saw a motorbike racing down the sidewalk toward the Market Street Wawa before cutting directly into oncoming traffic. These aren’t isolated incidents—they’re part of a growing pattern of reckless behavior that puts innocent people at risk.
New Jersey officials have been sounding the alarm as well. The state has seen a sharp rise in serious crashes involving these motorized devices, including multiple teen fatalities in Scotch Plains, Orange, and Cranford, along with a severe injury to a 15‑year‑old in Washington Township, Gloucester County. These cases were significant enough that lawmakers cited them directly when passing what are now the strictest e‑bike and e‑scooter regulations in the country. The new law also requires all crashes involving these devices to be formally reported, a step taken because injuries had been climbing for years.
Local police departments are seeing the same problems. The New Jersey Association of Police Chiefs in December 2025, issued a “White Paper” warning last December after repeated complaints and dangerous encounters involving e‑bikes and scooters. Their remarks cut straight to the heart of the issue:
“We continue to receive reports of juveniles operating electric bikes and scooters in a reckless manner—speeding, weaving through traffic, ignoring stop signs, and riding on sidewalks. These behaviors create a serious risk of injury to the riders and to the public. Parents are urged to know what their children are doing and to ensure these devices are operated safely and legally.”
That statement could have been written about any town in South Jersey. The behavior is the same, the risks are the same, and the consequences—too often—are the same.
We asked Gloucester City Municipal Clerk Vanessa Little today if the mayor and council have issued a resolution or ordinance in recent months pertaining to this issue, and she said, No. Electric scooters and e‑bikes may be here to stay, but that doesn’t mean we have to accept chaos. When riders treat public spaces like personal racetracks, they endanger everyone else who uses those spaces responsibly. Gloucester City residents shouldn’t have to wait for a tragedy of its own before expecting better enforcement—and better behavior.
E-Bike technology, safety practices, and legal requirements continue to evolve as their use
expands across New Jersey communities. Riders, parents, retailers, and law enforcement are
encouraged to stay informed and review credible sources to ensure safe and lawful operation.
The following resources provide up-to-date information on New Jersey regulations,
registration requirements, rider education, and safety recommendations:
- NJ Laws:
- NJ Motor Vehicle Commission
- Rutgers information
- https://njbikeped.org/new-jersey-micromobility-guide-2025/
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