Newark must make its streets safer for e-bike riders

This is an opinion piece produced as part of the 2026 Citizen Journalism class by Jennah Cherry-Romain titled “Newark must make its streets safer for e-bike riders.”

My e-bike on Austin Street in Newark, New Jersey, on August 26, 2026. Photo by Jennah Cherry-Romain.

NEWARK, NJ — I’ve ridden my e-bike through the McClellan Street underpass more than once when it was flooded. The first time, I saw cars driving through the water and assumed I could make it across, too.

But another time it was different.

The water kept rising as I rode farther into the underpass. Eventually, it reached my thighs. My bike was nearly submerged, and I became frightened when I realized the water had reached the battery. By then, I was already in the middle of the underpass, so I kept going until I reached dry ground.

I shouldn’t have to guess whether a flooded street is safe to cross — or risk getting stranded because there is no better route. Newark should protect e-bike riders by creating connected bike lanes, improving street conditions and drainage, and teaching drivers and riders how to share the road.

For me, an e-bike provides freedom. I don’t have a driver’s license, and public transportation does not always take me where I need to go. My bike allows me to get to work, run errands and travel around Newark without the expense of a car.

But New Jersey’s new law covers low-speed electric bicycles that assist riders up to 20 mph and motorized bicycles that can assist at higher speeds, up to 28 mph. Riders of these e-bikes must be at least 15 years old, have either a driver’s license or a separate e-bike license, and register their bikes. For someone like me, who chose an e-bike partly because I don’t have a driver’s license, these requirements create another barrier to affordable transportation. Newark’s streets put riders at risk 

Newark’s streets put riders at risk

E-bike riders face several dangers on Newark streets:

• Missing or disconnected bike lanes: Bike lanes may be unprotected or end suddenly, forcing riders into vehicle traffic.

• Poor street conditions: Flooding, potholes and poorly maintained roads create additional dangers for people traveling on two wheels.

• Drivers who pass too closely: I have had drivers pass without leaving enough room. I couldn’t tell whether they failed to see me or simply didn’t care, but either way, I was reminded how vulnerable a rider is without protected space.

That vulnerability can have deadly consequences. A March 2026 report from Rutgers University’s New Jersey State Policy Lab examined several serious and fatal crashes involving young e-bike riders in 2025. They included the deaths of a 14-year-old in Somers Point, a 13-year-old in Scotch Plains and two 17-year-olds in a hit-and-run crash in Cranford.

The circumstances differed, but the crashes showed how vulnerable e-bike riders are when sharing roads with much larger and faster vehicles. Newark should treat those deaths as a warning.

The views expressed in this article express those of the writer alone and not necessarily those of Public Square Amplified.