By Guy Page

A 64-year-old Newbury woman was killed Monday, September 8 in the Caledonia County town of South Ryegate when the electric bicycle she was riding collided with a pickup truck on Scott Highway near Church Street, Vermont State Police said.

Troopers identified the bicyclist as Kathryn Mabey. First responders found her unresponsive at the scene and began CPR. She was transported to Cottage Hospital in Haverhill, N.H., where she was pronounced dead.

The driver of the truck, Scott Reed, 65, of Fletcher, North Carolina, was not injured. His 2024 GMC Sierra had minor front-end damage.

Police said their initial investigation shows Mabey was crossing both lanes of traffic from the eastbound shoulder of Scott Highway into a parking lot when Reed, also driving eastbound, struck her after trying to swerve.

Impairment and speed do not appear to have been factors in the crash, which remains under investigation.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact the Vermont State Police St. Johnsbury Barracks at 802-748-3111.

E-bikes have grown in popularity as older Vermonters seek help with pedaling and frugal and/or climate-conscious Vermonters seek practical alternatives to cars. The State of Vermont began an e-bike purchase rebate program in 2022. However, rebates are not being offered at present, according to a Drive Electric Vermont website.

It is not known whether the September 8 crash was the first Vermont fatal crash involving an e-bike. State data shows three bicycle-related fatalities in 2023 and 2024, the most recent being a November 2024 crash on Shelburne Road in which an apparently distracted police officer hit a cyclist at night.

By definition all e-bikes have an electric motor of 750 watts or less. State law does not require helmets or licenses. 

For legal purposes, e-bikes in Vermont fall into three classes:

Class 1: Pedal-Assist bikes have a max-assisted speed of 20 mph. No throttle permitted. 

Class 2: Throttle-Capable, may operate without pedaling. Max assisted/throttle speed: 20 mph

Class 3: Speed Pedelec. Max assisted speed: 28 mph. Throttle: Pedal-assist only. Speedometer required. Operator must be age 16 or over. 

Like non-motorized bicycles, all three classes may use bike paths or bike lanes, as well as state highways. As noted by WCAX on September 6, the growing popularity of e-bikes has some other bike path users – notably runners wearing headphones – concerned about being hit by whizzing e-bikes.