What You Need to Know About e-bikes and Scooters on Your Beach Vacation
A lot of folks are hopping on board the latest transportation trend with e-bikes and electric scooters. If you’re planning to bring your gear on your vacation to the Charleston coast, here’s what you need to know.
Feel free to zip on an e-bike while staying in your Isle of Palms vacation property, as long as you follow state laws that regulate bicycles. Always be safe and wear a helmet.
Try out an e-bike at Rebellion Roads in Mount Pleasant, which offers rentals and tours on Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island. E-bikes can hit up to 20 mph and go for 20 to 50 miles depending on how hard and fast you pedal.
Call Rebellion Roads at (843-874-7953) to book a rental. You can meet them at 1470 Ben Sawyer Boulevard, or they will deliver the e-bikes to you (for a $35 delivery fee).
Or take the Shores E-bike Tour with Rebellion Roads that travels to Pitt Street Bridges with views of Fort Sumter, along Pitt Street to Shem Creek Park, then to Sullivan’s Island to take in marsh views.
The Town of Seabrook Island got ahead of the curve on this trend. Use of pedal-assisted e-bikes has been allowed on the island since 2019. They adjusted their regs in 2020 when the state of South Carolina’s traffic code made e-bikes subject to all the regulations that guide bicycle use. Translation: Pedal-assisted e-bikes are allowed anywhere bicycles are allowed and follow the same rules.
Because some beachgoers took e-bikes onto the town’s beaches last summer, officials did have to clarify that e-bikes are prohibited on the beach. The only motorized vehicles allowed on the island’s beaches are those used to transport disabled individuals. That rule is true on Isle of Palm beaches as well.
On Kiawah Island, it’s a different story. While Kiawah Island residents and members of its property owners association can use pedal-assist vehicles, the Association prohibits visitors from using e-bikes and there are no rentals available on the island.
That said, Kiawah Island provides the perfect destination to keep the car parked and get around by bike. Bicycles and non-electric scooters are allowed on leisure trails and roadways that have limited traffic. Feel free to get around on two wheels, just not the electric-powered ones.
Our vacation properties are conveniently located, so visitors have easy access to the town’s center, amenities and, of course, the beach. Rent a bike with Alligator Bikes, a rental company serving Kiawah and Seabrook islands for more than 30 years. They’ll set you up with a comfortable beach cruiser, complete with a lock, basket and even a trailer or beach tow cart.