E-bikes have gone from novelty to neighborhood flashpoint in the Tigard-Tualatin area, prompting a school campus ban, a new county complaint line, and growing tension on local trails.
The Tigard-Tualatin School District banned all e-bikes and e-scooters from elementary and middle school campuses effective June 1, according to a June 22 announcement on the district's website. The rule applies regardless of the rider's age or the class of e-bike. Schools will work with families to enforce the policy, the district said, citing rising safety concerns on campuses.
The announcement covers elementary and middle schools and does not mention high school campuses.
Trail complaints skyrocket
On area trails, the friction is even sharper. The Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District received 108 electric-device complaints in 2025, according to records obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive. In 2023, it had received zero.
Mark Pierce, the parks district's safety manager, told OregonLive he has seen a "huge uptick" in reports of kids riding too fast or veering onto non-biking trails. Much of the data on trail safety, enforcement, and injuries in this article is drawn from an OregonLive investigation published Friday, July 17.
"If they were on a regular bike, going at a reasonable speed, and keeping a safe distance from pedestrians, I don't think we'd be seeing these complaints to the degree we are now," Pierce said.
The parks district has the authority to ban offenders for six months but had not yet done so as of mid-June, Pierce said. Tigard-area resident Tony Betz told OregonLive he was injured in 2019 when a passing electric scooter on the Fanno Creek Trail tangled him in a dog leash, leaving him with a rope burn that persisted years later.
County launches complaint form
The Washington County Sheriff's Office added a dedicated e-bike and e-scooter option to its online traffic complaint form in early July. Residents of unincorporated Washington County can select "I'd Like to Report potentially Illegal Motorized Scooter/E-Bike Activity" on the Sheriff's Office website. Cpl. David Huey, a Sheriff's Office spokesperson, said the tool is meant to make complaints more measurable and roads safer.
Two complaints arrived in the form's first week, both describing groups of teenagers riding recklessly and popping wheelies. One report mentioned teens shooting fireworks.
The form covers unincorporated Washington County only. Residents within Tigard or Tualatin city limits should contact their local police departments for incidents inside those boundaries.
Fatal crashes raise stakes
The enforcement push follows two fatal crashes involving young riders in the area. Tigard High School sophomore Mikah Cavalcanti-Chun, 15, died in 2024 after crashing his e-bike into a tree in Tualatin. His bike was advertised at 32 mph, above Oregon's legal 28 mph cap. He was wearing a helmet. Tualatin police said security footage showed the bike moving at the speed of traffic.
On Thursday, June 25, a 14-year-old Beaverton student, Jacob Tran, was killed while crossing Southwest Scholls Ferry Road in a crosswalk on an electric scooter.
At OHSU Hospital, e-bike and e-scooter injuries more than tripled from 2021 to 2025, reaching 179 last year.
Enforcement and what parents should know
In late June, Washington County deputies conducted a five-hour enforcement campaign targeting dangerous e-bike riding in Bethany and at PCC's Rock Creek Campus. They contacted 40 children and teens on electric vehicles, educating them on traffic laws and issuing warnings or citations to riders exceeding the 28 mph limit.
Oregon's Trenton's Law sets a minimum riding age of 16 for e-bikes. Starting Friday, January 1, 2027, the minimum drops to 14 for Class 1 pedal-assist-only bikes (up to 20 mph). Riders must still be 16 for Class 2 and Class 3 models.
Residents of unincorporated Washington County can file e-bike complaints through the Sheriff's Office traffic form. Within Tigard or Tualatin city limits, contact local police non-emergency lines.
