Recently, electric bikes (e-bikes) have been growing in popularity among students at Carlsbad High School. The amount of e-bike related accidents has increased so much that the City of Carlsbad (as of Aug. 23) has gone into a state of emergency. 

One of the reasons this e-bike issue has propelled to such an extent is because of the passing of 35-year-old, Christine Hawk Embree. She was struck by a car while riding an e-bike.

“[The state of emergency] is good for safety and other good reasons,” E-biker and sophomore Orion Hughes said. “I like how they always think about [us]. It’s good for everything.”

The City of Carlsbad has spent $2 million on traffic safety actions. Students around Carlsbad have already felt the impact of the state of emergency as many students have been pulled over for speeding or not wearing a helmet.

“[The state of emergency] has affected my brother,” E-biker and sophomore Merrick Smith said.  “He got a speeding ticket pretty recently, but I think depending on what they chose, it could be a better idea to add a bit more safety laws,” 

Another reason for the state of emergency is because of how many e-bikes have appeared on the streets. Some students don’t have someone to drive them to school and live too far away to walk. 

“[E-bikers] are driving a lot safer,” Carlsbad High School’s resource officer Dylan Mayer said. “They are being educated through citations or warnings. [E-bikers] are slowing down and that’s good.”

Police officers have seen a change around Carlsbad. So far, the state of emergency has relocated more officers to the school and other areas where e-bikes are present.

“I’ve seen e-bikes being a lot safer which is good because they are following a lot of the rules like hand signals, stopping at stop signs, and not being as careless and reckless on the road,” Mayer said. “I think the state of emergency is a very good tool to educate [e-bikers], [and] I think if it keeps one person from getting hurt, then I think it’s worth it.”