Tel Aviv Bike and Scooter Laws

The purpose of this article is to give you an overview of what is allowed and banned on regular bikes, electric bikes, and electric scooters in Tel Aviv-Jaffa. I will include the list of all the laws based on vehicle and the fines associated with breaking these laws.

Tel Aviv City Police giving ticket for riding scooter without helmet

🚴‍♂️ Things to Know First

• I am not a lawyer, police officer, nor an official source.

• Laws and regulations can be hard to find in Hebrew and nearly impossible in English, and sometimes details are ambiguous.

  • I am doing my best to make it as clear and easy as possible

• Always double-check current local rules, since enforcement and fines may change.

🚦 Reality vs. Enforcement

If you spend even 5 minutes in Tel Aviv, you’ll notice that almost everyone is breaking at least some of these rules - especially things like:

• Two people riding on one scooter

• Riding on the sidewalk

• Speeding past 25 km/h

• Riding without lights at night

• Or honestly… pretty much every rule on the list

  
  

⚠️ This does not mean it’s okay. I don’t recommend copying what you see - it’s dangerous for you and for pedestrians.

From my personal experience (again - this is not legal advice and please don’t DM me saying I was “wrong” if you get fined), the rules most likely to actually get you fined in Tel Aviv are:

1. Riding on the sidewalk

2. Riding an e-bike or scooter without a helmet

3. Riding an e-bike or scooter without a license plate (new rule since 2024)

I’ve personally never heard of someone getting a ticket for missing lights, wearing headphones, or breaking some of the other rules, even though technically those are also against the law.

This being said, here are the laws as clearly as I can share them:

Regular Bike & Electric Bike and Electric Scooter Laws in Tel Aviv-Jaffa

Here are the main rules for regular bikes, electric bikes, and electric scooters, plus associated fines for breaking them.

Rule / Requirement	Applies to	What the Law Says
Minimum riding age	Electric bikes & scooters	Must be aged 16 or older to ride electric bicycle or scooter.
Licensing / Theory exam	If you don’t hold a driver’s license and want to ride Electric bikes & scooters	Must pass the “A3” theory exam or equivalent;
Registration / license plate	Electric bikes & scooters	Vehicles must be registered and have a license plate attached. Effective from August 1, 2024
Max speed (electric bikes)	Electric bicycles	Maximum 25 km/h.
Lighting at night	Regular bikes / electric bikes / scooters	Must use front white light and rear red light when riding at night.
Helmet requirement	Electric scooters & bikes;	Helmet is mandatory. Also required for regular bicycles up to age 18.
Sidewalk riding	Regular bikes / e-bikes / scooters	Riding on sidewalks is prohibited
Crossing pedestrian crosswalks while riding	All bikes / e-vehicles	You must dismount and walk your bike across unless there is a marked cyclist crossing.
Using phone or headphones while riding	All riders	Disallowed. Using a phone leads to fines, as does riding with headphones.
Passenger on electric scooter	Electric scooters	Carrying a passenger is not allowed.

💸 Common Fines / Penalties

Here are fines associated with breaking some of the above rules:

Violation	Approximate Fine
Riding on sidewalk (regular bike / electric vehicle)	₪250
Helmet violation (without helmet when required)	₪1,000
Riding electric bicycle under age 16	₪1,000
Speeding over 25 km/h on e-bike	₪1,000
Running a red light (like any vehicle)	₪1,500
Using a phone while riding	₪1,000
Wearing headphones while riding	₪250
Carrying a passenger on an electric scooter	₪250
Riding an unregistered electric bike/scooter (no plate)	₪750

🔍 Some Additional Notes & Tips

• Enforcement can vary by municipality - what is enforced strictly in one neighborhood might be less in another.

• Even where rules are clear, signs / local markings may be missing, so always ride with caution.

• When in doubt, follow the stricter rule (helmet, lights, obey traffic signals).

• Ride slow, be careful, bike and scooter traffic is crazy in Tel Aviv - but over time you will realize there is somewhat of an order to the chaos and you'll fit right in!