Boston ***Editorial-New Laws Needed To Keep Up With Microtransport Explosion Trouble

EDITORIAL A tragedy in Stoneham should spark a push to update Mass. rules for micromobility devices Massachusetts law hasn’t kept up with rapidly changing micromobility technology that’s blurring the lines between bikes, e-bikes, mopeds, dirt bikes, motorcycles, and scooters. Editorial BoardDecember 1st, 2025, 8:20 am Listen The death of 13-year-old Parker Robles, a middle school student who was killed when his electric dirt bike crashed into a car in Stoneham the week before Thanksgiving, is a sobering wake-up call to the safety issues cropping up in many Massachusetts communities with the proliferation of high-speed electric mobility devices. Those devices go by different names and come in a huge variety of styles, from electric skateboards to quasi-mopeds, which is one of the reasons that regulating them has proven to be so challenging. They can also be easily modified. According to police, the Stoneham crash is still under investigation. What is clear, though, is that Massachusetts law hasn’t kept up with rapidly changing micromobility technology that’s blurring the lines between bikes, e-bikes, mopeds, dirt bikes, motorcycles, and scooters. The result is that young children and unlicensed drivers are operating high-speed devices capable of