There is a rising problem with kids on E-bikes in Murietta. These electronic bicycles can reach high speeds, tearing up the streets and causing trouble, affecting businesses, local communities, police, drivers, and the everyday civilians of Murrieta.
On July 10th, 2025, in an Instagram post from the Murrieta Police Department @murrietapd, it is stated, “Between January 1, 2023, and July 2, 2025, there have been over 75 reported e-bike collisions, several of which involved serious injuries. Additionally, we’ve received hundreds of calls for service regarding unsafe e-bike use on roadways, sidewalks, and in parks.” The full post can be found here.
However, problems continue even beyond collisions, as the riders of E-bikes are reported to cause problems for businesses and shoppers. A particular hot spot for the E-bike problem is Plaza de Oro in Murrieta. As students who ride E-bikes get out of class, they often make a stop at this shopping plaza on the way home from Thompson Middle School or Murrieta Valley High School, as it is just 0.8 miles away (a 5-minute bike ride or 15-minute walk).
In an interview with Front-end Manager Herbert, who has worked at the Murrieta Ralphs location for close to 20 years now, he stated, “the kids bother customers and don’t seem to give a damn” when asked what type of trouble arises from the kids coming to Ralphs by E-bike after school. He goes on to say, “they’re frequently stealing, and we have to chase them out the store and threaten to get the police, but there’s very little we can do to stop them.” Herbert went on to explain that the kids often flee on their e-bikes before the police can arrive, and even with camera footage, the police have trouble identifying and stopping the assailants. Herbert continues, “Not to mention the problem they cause in the parking lot. A lot of customers come back to us complaining about the kids speeding around the lot and messing around. Customers come in and complain, but we just have to explain that we’re trying our best.”
I also interviewed a Mt. San Jacinto student, Anthony Ibara, who works at the local El Ranchito Taco Shop at Plaza de Oro. When asked what type of problems the kids on E-bikes bring to the store, he said, “Oh yeah, they’re a big problem for the shop, especially with loitering. Sometimes I’ll catch them stealing soda from the machine too.” Ibara elaborates by explaining that he tries his best to resolve the issues as he understands what it was like to be a kid, too. But Ibara goes on to explain, “the worst part about them is that they always like to start fights. They don’t like to listen and tend to resort to rage-baiting because they know what they can get away with.”
Thankfully, the City of Murrieta appears to be taking steps to resolve the issues. Due to the increasing danger of E-Bikes, the city of Murrieta decided to enforce more rules and regulations by passing an ordinance. Some of these rules include the requirement of front-facing lights, always wearing helmets, no headphones while riding, no riding in public parks, one rider at a time, a 28-MPH speed limit, and following and obeying traffic laws. The full ordinance can be read on Murrieta’s city website.
Ultimately, time will tell whether the ordinance can resolve the issue of conduct in the kids riding these E-bikes. Regardless, it is becoming clear that the problem is not the E-bikes themselves, but rather the conduct of the riders.
