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Proposal from the São Paulo municipal administration foresees specific rules for electric bicycles and self-propelled equipment, with different speed limits according to the type of road and the opening of a public consultation for the population to send suggestions on the new active mobility regulation.
The São Paulo City Hall is advancing with a set of specific rules to regulate the circulation of electric bicycles and self-propelled equipment, such as scooters and e-scooters, in an initiative that establishes differentiated speed limits according to the type of road where these devices are used in the São Paulo capital.
The proposal was developed by the Municipal Secretariat of Mobility and Traffic and is included in a draft that may still undergo changes before becoming final, as the text will be submitted to a public consultation lasting 15 days starting this Sunday, allowing any São Paulo citizen to send suggestions and criticisms about the proposed content.
Contributions can be submitted by the city’s residents through the digital platform “Participate More”, available on the São Paulo City Hall’s website, making the participatory process accessible to anyone with internet access who wants to contribute to the formulation of new urban mobility rules applied to the use of electric bicycles and self-propelled devices.
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Among the main guidelines of the draft is the prohibition of circulation of electric bicycles and self-propelled devices on high-speed roads, such as the Tietê and Pinheiros Marginals and the North-South Corridor, road structures where the coexistence between these devices and high-speed vehicles would represent a significant risk to the safety of active mobility users in the city.
On bike lanes or cycle paths located on roads, the proposed speed limit for these devices is 20 km/h, a measure that seeks to balance the flow of movement with the safety of cyclists and pedestrians who share spaces close to lanes intended for active mobility in Brazil’s largest metropolis.
However, when the cycle path is located on the sidewalk or in a shared area with pedestrian circulation, the speed limit established by the proposal drops to just 6 km/h, a speed compatible with the pace of pedestrians and that seeks to minimize the risk of accidents in these mixed-use spaces and coexistence between different types of users.
Rules for roads without cycling infrastructure
For streets and avenues with a regulated speed of up to 50 km/h that do not have bike lanes or cycle paths installed, the proposal stipulates that electric bikes and self-propelled vehicles must respect the speed already established for that road and travel along the edge of the lane, close to the curb, to ensure greater predictability for other drivers using the same road space.
This guidance follows a trend observed in various Brazilian and international cities, which seek to integrate active mobility into the existing road system without necessarily immediately expanding cycling infrastructure, adopting coexistence rules as an intermediate solution while new bike lanes and cycle paths are not completed by the municipal administration.
The regulation also comes at a time of significant expansion in the use of electric bikes and self-propelled vehicles in São Paulo, driven both by the increased availability of these devices in the market and by the search for more economical and sustainable transport alternatives by workers, delivery personnel, and students who travel daily through the city.
According to data released by Aliança Bike — Brazilian Bicycle Sector Association — in August 2025, about 212 thousand new units of bicycles, including electric and self-propelled models, have entered the Brazilian market in recent years, highlighting the scale of the phenomenon and the urgency of an adequate regulatory framework for these devices in cities.
Growth in use and challenges for enforcement
The significant increase in the number of electric bikes and scooters on the streets of São Paulo has brought concrete challenges for urban coexistence, with frequent reports of conflicts between cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers due to the lack of clear rules on speed, circulation space, and expected behavior of users of these devices on public roads.
In addition to speed and circulation rules, the regulation under discussion will also need to address the challenge of effective enforcement of the rules, an aspect that depends on the operational capacity of traffic agents and the integration between different municipal bodies to ensure that the new rules are indeed followed on the streets and bike lanes of the São Paulo capital on a daily basis.
The proposal from the Municipal Department of Mobility and Traffic aligns with similar initiatives adopted in other Brazilian municipalities, such as cities on the São Paulo coast, which have already tightened enforcement on electric scooters in bike lanes in recent months, following a growing concern for safety in spaces designated for active mobility throughout the country.
The public consultation open from this Sunday represents a concrete opportunity for cyclists, delivery workers, pedestrians, residents, and urban mobility experts to contribute their perspectives on the proposed rules, directly influencing the final text that will be adopted by the municipal administration to regulate this growing segment of São Paulo’s mobility.
After the public consultation concludes, the revised text is expected to be officially published, becoming a municipal regulation for all users of electric bicycles and self-propelled equipment in São Paulo, with a direct impact on residents, app delivery workers, shared scooter companies, and other actors involved in this urban mobility ecosystem in Brazil’s largest city.
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