HomeMy WebLinkAbout111225-04.1 ALAN KALIN CORRESPONDENCE (2) 1
Danville: The Epicenter of the Tri -Valley E-
Moto Safety Crisis
November 18, 2025
Mayor Morgan and Members of the Danville Town Council:
On October 30th, volunteers from Danville Safety Advocates and E-Bike Access surveyed seven
San Ramon Valley middle schools. What they documented was unprecedented: more than 200
high-powered, throttle-activated electric motorcycles parked in student bike corrals — some
ridden by children as young as eleven.
Let’s be absolutely clear:
These are not bicycles.
They are non-street-legal electric motorcycles, capable of 30 to 47 miles per hour, with no
legal right to operate on sidewalks, trails, park paths, school property or any other public streets
or areas.
Danville is the epicenter of the Tri-Valley’s E-Moto safety crisis. And it can be resolved only
if the Town Council exercises leadership and forges a Town/School/Law Enforcement
partnership to enforce existing laws against E-Motos.
And because more of these machines are concentrated in Danville than anywhere else in the Tri -
Valley, the responsibility to lead rests with this Council.
And while Danville has studied this issue for more than six months, study does not protect the
public. During that time, the number of E-Motos has grown, the speeds have increased, and the
risks have multiplied.
Other cities are already taking action. But the danger is greatest here — because the numbers are
greatest here. That makes action not only reasonable, but urgent.
First, the Town must direct the Police Department to enforce state law consistently and
visibly. The era of endless warnings is over. Warnings have not reduced the numbers; the
numbers have increased despite them.
Second, Danville schools must ban these vehicles and coordinate with law enforcement to
implement those bans. Focusing on the schools will enable cost-effective enforcement. Danville
must stop normalizing E-Motos at schools. Allowing them in bike corrals creates the false
impression that these machines are safe, legal, or permitted.
Third, Danville must enact a town-wide prohibition on riding e-bikes — and especially E-
Motos — on all sidewalks, park paths, and pedestrian -only zones. These facilities were built
for people on foot, not 40-mph motor vehicles. This ban will provide another enforcement tool.
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Fourth, the Town must recognize the growing legal liability. Once a municipality is aware of a
hazardous condition — such as unlicensed motor vehicles operating routinely on pedestrian
infrastructure — it has a legal duty to take reasonable corrective action. The Town’s exposure is
no longer theoretical; it is foreseeable and documented.
Yes, this crisis touches the entire Tri-Valley.
Yes, it affects schools and families.
But nowhere is the danger greater – or more visible – than here in Danville. Passing the
buck to the County, the State or someone else is not the type of leadership needed at this
point.
Please take a moment to look at what is being ridden on sidewalks, trails, park paths, school
property, public streets and areas throughout Danville (photos below)…
They are not bicycles, They are not E-bikes, they are high-powered, throttle-activated electric
motorcycles – “E-Motos.”
Tuttio-ICT (40+mph) Talaria (40+mph)
Tuttio-Soleil01 (37mph) Movcan (37mph)
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REVV 1 DRT ( 34mph) Pedal-Core (32mph)
Ridestar Q20-Pro (32mph) Meelod-DK 300 (30mph)
Ride1up (30mph) Super 73 (28mph)
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Cycrown-Cychunter (28mph) Volcan (28mph)
Alan Kalin, COL, U.S. Army (Ret.) President Mount Diablo Cyclists
(MountDiabloCyclists.org), Co-Chair Danville Safety Advocates (BikeDanville.org)
For more information visit Danville Safety Advocates