Dave Hock wants Coronado's police chief and city manager to crack down on e-bike riders breaking existing laws on the Bayshore Bikeway, rather than wait for the city council to pass new ones.
In a letter published Thursday, Aug. 27, in the Coronado Times, Hock described witnessing a rider traveling "well over 35mph" with no helmet, no hands on the handlebars, eyes on a phone and earbuds in. California Vehicle Code caps Class 3 e-bikes at 28 mph; anything faster is classified as a moped or motorcycle, according to a Times of San Diego report on regional e-bike regulations.
"We don't need the council to pass new laws. We have plenty of existing laws that just need to be enforced," Hock wrote.
He listed five categories of law he says go unenforced: helmet requirements for riders under 18, speed limits on e-bike motors, distracted-driving prohibitions on phone use, reckless-driving rules against wheelies, and Coronado's sidewalk riding ban, adopted in late 2024.
Under Coronado's council-manager government, Hock argued, the city manager and police chief decide enforcement priorities. The council cannot direct officers to write tickets.
Enforcement record so far
The city is not starting from zero. According to a San Diego Documenters report on a November 2024 council meeting, Coronado police had issued 162 warnings and 23 citations as of that date, since the city's 2023 e-bike task force recommendations were adopted. Officers also seized nine bikes and handed out gift certificates for pizza and ice cream to youth riders following the rules.
That same report found 72% of e-bike collisions in Coronado since 2021 were caused by the operator, often due to unsafe speeds.
Regional injury spike
The enforcement debate comes as pediatric e-bike injuries surge across San Diego County. Rady Children's Health saw 262 e-bike injury cases in 2025, up from three in 2021, according to the Times of San Diego. The hospital recorded 98 cases in the first three months of 2026.
Campaign issue, school start looming
Hock wrote that all five candidates running for Coronado City Council have raised e-bike safety as a campaign topic. Those candidates are incumbent Kelly Purvis, Rebecca King, Keith James, Andrew Gade and Ricky Hoyt, according to The Coronado News. A public candidate forum is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the Coronado Unified School District.
Hock proposed two immediate steps: revoking e-bike parking privileges at schools for students who arrive without a secured helmet, and stationing officers with radar on the Bayshore Bikeway during the school commute.
Neither the Coronado Police Department nor the city manager's office has publicly responded to the enforcement proposals.
