Santa Clarita enjoys more than 110 miles of paved trails and paseos — a civic treasure that lets us walk, jog and ride through our neighborhoods without ever crossing a major street. But lately, those peaceful paths have morphed into e-powered raceways. The same goes for sidewalks and even shopping-center colonnades. Once the province of walkers and cyclists, these spaces are increasingly invaded by new high-powered e-machines.
Electric bikes, scooters and small motorcycles now zip past walkers at 25, 30, even 35 mph. Too often, the riders are kids — unlicensed, untrained, unhelmeted — music blasting through earbuds as they weave through pedestrians. Parents shrug. Joggers dodge. Sooner or later, someone’s going to get badly hurt — maybe the rider, maybe an innocent bystander.
Concerned residents are urging our City Council to take action on e-vehicles: stronger enforcement, speed limits, education, and citations where needed.
I hope our leaders hear them. Because beneath all the talk about “fun” and “freedom,” there’s a truth I’ve lived:
One instant. One hit. One hard fall — change a life forever.
Ten years ago, halfway around the world, my daughter was an innocent pedestrian struck by a motorbike on a chaotic Indian street. We’d been shopping for saris for a wedding when my daughter, Katie, walked down the street for tailoring. Minutes later, a boy ran back shouting, “Your daughter’s been hit!”
My son and I tore down the street and found her crumpled on the curb — blood from her ears, nose and mouth, motionless. She was comatose and barely breathing. We lifted her into a three-wheeled tuk-tuk and raced to a hospital through traffic that looked like a scene from a video game.
At the hospital, surgeons told us she’d suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. Her skull was fractured from ear to ear. They didn’t know if she would live or die — or recover, or be permanently impaired. It was frightening beyond comprehension.
That night, surgeons removed part of her skull to relieve pressure and operated to stop the brain bleeding.
Katie survived.
What followed were days of coma, months of therapies, and a determined march back to normalcy. She had to relearn words, movement, memory, even piano — piece by piece. Today she’s thriving again, strong and beautiful; has a wonderful family of her own — and all of us fully understand something most folks overlook: just how fragile the human brain truly is.
That experience changed me forever. Whenever I see kids or adults flying by on e-bikes without helmets, I flash back to Katie’s near-death as a pedestrian hit by that motorbike.
When people say, “It’s just a bike — but powered,” I can tell you: no, it’s not. E-bikes aren’t just bicycles, and powered scooters aren’t toys. They’re high-powered machines capable of speeds far beyond human-powered bikes and scooters, depending on design or motor size. And the ground doesn’t care whether you’re running 700 watts or 1,200, or whether you’re a kid or adult: In a collision between head and pavement, pavement always wins.
We’ve built this city for outdoor recreation — and now we’re watching some of our kids ride headlong into danger on the very pathways we built. The solution isn’t banning e-bikes or issuing unenforceable decrees. It’s creating a balance: enjoyment with responsibility, enhanced riding with safety, freedom with consequence.
Most of these solutions start at home.
Parents, you are the first line of defense. You likely bought the e-bike, you charge it, and you watch it leave the driveway. You set the rules — or you don’t. You model behavior — or you don’t. If your kid rides without a helmet, that’s not a city problem. If your kid rides recklessly, that’s a parenting problem.
But City Hall has a role. Santa Clarita’s laws already require helmets for riders under 18, obeying speed limits, and staying off sidewalks and pedestrian areas. Yet enforcement is inconsistent, and signage is scarce. We can do better:
• Step up sheriff patrols along major paseos and school routes. Enforce common-sense laws on the books.
• Launch a public-awareness campaign in schools and parks.
• Partner with retailers to include safety information and helmet discounts with every sale.
• Add speed-limit and “Helmet Required” signage on popular trails.
Because what’s happening now — near-collisions, harassment of walkers and cyclists, kids racing powerful bikes and scooters — isn’t sustainable. It’s multiple tragedies waiting to happen.
I learned firsthand how thin the line is between normal life and catastrophe. My daughter’s survival came down to luck, gifted surgeons, and the prayers of countless supporters. But one safer, more aware motorbike rider could have prevented all this pain.
Helmets aren’t “dorky” or an inconvenience. They’re an act of love — a signal that life is precious and worth protecting. If you’ve ever seen a brain injury up close, you’ll never again roll your eyes at a helmet law. You’ll strap it on like your life depends on it — because it does.
I hope our City Council moves decisively to promote e-bike and e-scooter safety. And I hope parents and riders alike take a simple yet profoundly effective vow:
Slow down. Be courteous. Follow the rules. And for God’s sake — wear a helmet. It’s about respect — for life, for others, and for respecting the miracle of the brain inside your skull.
Helmets and safe behaviors are far cheaper than hospitals, heartbreak, or funerals.
Gary Horton is chairman of the College of the Canyons Foundation board. His “Full Speed to Port!” has appeared in The Signal since 2006. The opinions expressed in his column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Signal or its editorial board.
