Thought about bringing my ebike down to MD for a week...NOPE

danjpendleton

danjpendleton

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Dec 4, 2013
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Location
Hudson, New Hampshire USA
Im going to Ocean city, MD for a week vacation at the end of september and considered bringing my ebike down to ride around because its basically a big long strip....looked into the laws and I guess you need to register ebikes as "mopeds" down there. A bicycle is only a "bicycle" if it is solely human powered. If your a resident you are required to register your ebike for $5. they give you a plate, a small vin tag to attach to the bike, and a title certificate in the mail....bogus law.

It says that certain vehicles of nonresidents are not subject to registration, as long as it is registered in and displays current registration plates issued for it in the owners place of residence. That would be great if I rode a moped, but in the state of New Hampshire where I reside, my ebike is considered a "bicycle" or "low speed electric vehicle"----

meaning I probably wont bring it, because I know Ill get hassled. It looks too much like a motorcycle... Id consider risking it if I had built it to look more like a regular bicycle, but in NH cops dont pay too much attention to anything with pedals as long as your not being irresponsible.

myebike.JPG
 
Thanks for that info. We are headed up to Baltimore soon and were thinking of towing the trikes. I guess not now.
otherDoc
 
There are examples of these situations on the forums at 'mopedarmy.com'. It seems you're at the mercy of the LEO. If you show him ID from somewhere else he can ignore reciprocality conventions and still write a ticket that forces you to show up in court. You can try to get the prosecutor to drop it, but that's still a hassle that might be worth avoiding.

If you don't have some sort of state issued ID, LE can handcuff you and take you to the station until they're satisfied they've properly ID'd you. LE can mess with you anywhere in public. Even if you're walking, they can make crap up to haul you in, seemingly with impunity. Travel by unregulated ultralight gyrocopter to and from private land seems increasingly attractive in avoiding the revenue pirates.
 
I don't know that I'd worry about it, to be honest. The season is over, for one thing, and you're far less likely to have a problem now than in the middle of July or August. For another, ebikes are not exactly common anywhere in the US. It's new and exotic enough, and falls under so many contradictory local definitions that ignorance of local regulation is entirely understandable.

Ocean City makes all its money from tourism, and you don't exactly encourage tourism by throwing the book at people for violating regulations they have no clue even exist.

In other words: the bar's not closed until someone chases you out with a broom, and there's nothing wrong with riding your ebike at the beach until the cops say there is.

Also keep in mind that the lady who got caught and raised a ruckus about it was riding a scooter-style bike. You'll have issues in a lot of places with such a bike, even in jurisdictions where it's clearly a 'bicycle'. It just looks too much like a moped. Remember, too, that it was delivery people on these bikes in NYC that led to rules and crackdowns there.

Your bike doesn't look like a scooter, and while it does a magnificent job recalling the shape of an old-school board-track racer, nobody, but nobody, is going to call it a motorcycle.

In other words, the rule may be that electric bicycles have to be registered and tagged, but I'd be shocked if anybody said anything to you about *your* bike, other than how beautiful it is.

Ask anybody what this is:

Electric-Scooter.jpg


They'll say it's a scooter or a moped and will assume it needs license and registration.

Ask anyone what your vehicle is, and they'll say it's a bicycle. Take it with you and have a good time.
 
Here is what the OCMDPD has to say : http://oceancitymd.gov/Police/media/ocpd-advisory-new-maryland-laws-effective-october-1st-for/
 
By the way, danjpendleton, in case I didn't make this point loudly enough: YOUR BIKE IS GOD DAMN BEAUTIFUL.

That board-track cruiser thing was what I was chasing, but you hit it far more elegantly:

Qb7wYBA.jpg


If it were me, after having read the OCPD statement, I would still take my bike to the beach and expect no issue at all, and if there were an issue, I'd be confident in resolving it without penalty. You have a bicycle, and the beach police don't have problems with bicycles. (Bicyclists, maybe, but that's up to you. Don't pick fights with cops is generally good advice everywhere in the world).
 
We still use bike bells and yell real loud if the runner in front has 2 ear phones turned up to 11.
otherDoc
 
Consider waiting until October? Maryland e-bike law changes as of that date.

Of course, although the newly-defined "electric bicycle" classification will no longer require insurance and titling, it is limited to bicycles with a motor rating of 500 watts or less and a speed of 20mph on a level surface when powered by the motor...
 
Maybe just put an old seat on it up high. Put a ugly towel over the battery as going to the beach. And any to make it look as if a homeless man owned it. Sometimes ugly is beutiful.
 
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