MOAB BLM Bans e-bikes on single track.
- Thread starter Shea N Encinitas
- Start date
J.R.
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Piedmont Highlands
I hope this isn't a sign of things to come for multi-use trails across the country. I keep a watch of regs and laws that happen in CA., MD. and NY. (bellwether locations), I didn't expect this one. Some of the comments attached to the article are toxic!
George S.
Well-Known Member
As far as I can tell the "ebikes are motorized vehicles" is getting set in concrete. Here's a story with the gist of the arguments:
http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-fight-to-ride-electric-mountain-bikes-on-the-trail-1411599454
A lot of people have grabbed the fig leaf of the original Federal notion to put ebikes in with consumer products, not motor vehicles. But it was clear this was a very limited form of ebike, at bicycle speeds. They sort of let people use ebikes on the bike paths around here, but there is a clearly marked speed limit. For the first time I actually saw an ATV-like enforcement vehicle. In the end, this interpretation closes off miles and miles of mountain bike trails in Southern Utah.
The problem with ebikes is that once you leave that ill-defined little island with no regs, no licenses, etc, you end up where? In the tangle of being a motorcycle. There are too many exciting things happening to not open things up, get some understandable rules.
There's a lot of stuff that could develop, both for recreation and for transportation. But it's all more powerful and more 'in your face' than that protected ebike as bicycle.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-fight-to-ride-electric-mountain-bikes-on-the-trail-1411599454
A lot of people have grabbed the fig leaf of the original Federal notion to put ebikes in with consumer products, not motor vehicles. But it was clear this was a very limited form of ebike, at bicycle speeds. They sort of let people use ebikes on the bike paths around here, but there is a clearly marked speed limit. For the first time I actually saw an ATV-like enforcement vehicle. In the end, this interpretation closes off miles and miles of mountain bike trails in Southern Utah.
The problem with ebikes is that once you leave that ill-defined little island with no regs, no licenses, etc, you end up where? In the tangle of being a motorcycle. There are too many exciting things happening to not open things up, get some understandable rules.
There's a lot of stuff that could develop, both for recreation and for transportation. But it's all more powerful and more 'in your face' than that protected ebike as bicycle.
Similar threads
