For six years, I co-owned and operated a nationally known e-bike store called Pedego Greater Long Beach. What began as my personal passion for e-bikes became a joyful experience of sharing them with others. Back then, the demographic was adults, but in the past few years, the riders shifted to teens and tweens. This brought some unsettling changes to e-bike safety in our communities.

While working on national communications for a global corporation, I relaxed every evening with a stroll around my neighborhood. Several months ago, I began to witness numerous teens riding recklessly ... and then aggressively. When one of these teens nearly mowed me down, it became clear that this program was needed. Drawing from my education and employment background, I set to work creating it.

Most civic leaders are unfamiliar with the nuances of managing safety regulations for e-bikes. I've seen some "throw-a-law-at-it" results that only threaten the rights of courteous, law-abiding riders. And I've also seen a failure to act, with leaders suffering "analysis paralysis" instead of making our streets safer. Those who lead us need help in understanding the many aspects of e-bike ridership involved, so they can craft ordinances and initiatives that will truly engage and improve the behaviors of teens on e-bikes.

I look forward to sharing my expertise as well as bringing together world-class experts, such as ER doctors, psychologists, law enforcement professionals, traffic engineering experts, cycling authorities, and more!