{"id":81782,"date":"2019-09-23T10:37:44","date_gmt":"2019-09-23T17:37:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=81782"},"modified":"2020-06-02T11:23:54","modified_gmt":"2020-06-02T18:23:54","slug":"can-you-ride-e-bikes-on-public-lands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/can-you-ride-e-bikes-on-public-lands","title":{"rendered":"Can You Ride Electric Bikes On Public Lands?"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Acadia National Park<\/a>\u2019s carriage roads are a unique cultural resource within the National Park Service (NPS), perhaps even the country. The 45-mile network of \u201cbroken-stone\u201d roads and historic bridges winds through quiet conifer forests past rocky ocean views. They were built in the first half of the twentieth century<\/a> by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who had the foresight to create a space where people could experience Acadia\u2019s beauty by horse, foot, carriage or bicycle, free from motors.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe wanted to open it up to people in a way that was peaceful,\u201d said David MacDonald, president of Friends of Acadia National Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yet, even Rockefeller couldn\u2019t have had the foresight to predict a future with electric bikes.<\/p>\n

As a technology to increase bicycling access to more people, lower traffic congestion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, electric bikes have largely been welcomed<\/a>. Twenty-two states have already passed traffic laws<\/a> to incorporate e-bikes on roads, bike paths and bike lanes. But what happens when the pavement ends?<\/p>\n

Those state laws do not apply to federally managed trails, where e-bikes and electric mountain bikes are the new kids in an already crowded landscape of hikers, equestrians and traditional cyclists. Public opinion seems to be becoming more accepting of e-MTBs on the trails,<\/a> but there\u2019s still concern about their impact on the outdoor experience and environment.<\/p>\n

Complicating matters, federal land management agencies have been inconsistent in their approach to electric mountain bikes. But frequently, e-MTBs, which have motors, have been treated like dirtbikes and barred from non-motorized trails.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why some in the outdoor community were surprised on August 29 when Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt signed order number 3376<\/a> to allow e-bikes access to all roads and trails where traditional bicycles can go. Bernhardt directed the order to the NPS and three other federal agencies\u2014the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Bureau of Reclamation. He instructed the agencies to exempt e-bikes from the definition of motorized vehicles (which encompasses \u201cevery vehicle that is self-propelled<\/a>\u201d). The biggest takeaway is that, moving forward, e-bikes will now be treated like bicycles on lands managed by the Department of the Interior (DOI).<\/p>\n

Does this mean that anyone with an e-bike can now ride on any existing DOI bike trail? No, at least not yet. While the order itself is simple, its implementation may be more complicated and varied.<\/p>\n

\n

The NPS has stated that it will allow all classes of e-bikes on trails as long as the riders also pedal, even on throttle-powered bikes, and follow normal trail-use rules such as speed limits.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The secretarial order is the first step in a longer policymaking process that could include opportunities for the public to weigh in.<\/p>\n

To start, each agency was required to adopt a new e-bike policy by September 12 that complied with the terms laid out in the DOI order \u201cto the extent existing regulations allow\u201d and amend any policies that limit its adoption. Then, the agencies have a second deadline on September 28 to report back to the DOI on three things: the policy changes they\u2019ve made to expand e-bike access, a list of laws or regulations that impede further expansion of e-bike access and a timeline to seek public comment on any rule changes.<\/p>\n

The day after Bernhardt signed the order, the NPS hit the deadline with time to spare by outlining its policy in a memorandum<\/a>. Echoing the secretarial order, it states: \u201cE-bikes are allowed where traditional bicycles are allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got people right now who may wish to go cycling in a national park, but for reasons of their age or disease or disability, they can\u2019t ride a traditional bicycle,\u201d said Jeremy Barnum, acting assistant director of communications for the NPS. \u201cWe think this gives some of those visitors who otherwise might not be able to enjoy those bicycle paths better opportunity to see a national park from behind a set of handlebars rather than a steering wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

For groups like the Friends of Acadia National Park, though, the DOI order and the NPS memorandum raises questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a national level policy that is extremely challenging to blanket over all these hundreds of very diverse [park] units,\u201d MacDonald said. \u201cWe think this process is flawed<\/a>. The park superintendent and his team deserve more time to have a broader discussion in the community to talk about options and have a thoughtful process about how this should play out.\u201d<\/p>\n

So will the DOI order force Acadia National Park to open the carriage roads to e-bikes? We still don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

The NPS memorandum states park superintendents will \u201cretain the right to limit, restrict, or impose conditions of bicycle use and e-bike use in order to ensure visitor safety and resource protection.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Barnum, this means parks will be able to declare trails that currently allow traditional bikes off limits to e-bikes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuperintendents who are on the ground and know those particular trails or paths can make that informed decision as to whether or not an e-bike makes sense on the same trail or same bike path,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n

The mountain biking community is also anxiously waiting to hear how the BLM, manager of many of the West\u2019s most beloved trails, and other DOI agencies will respond to Bernhardt\u2019s order.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Alex Logemann, policy counsel for People for Bikes<\/a>, a cycling advocacy organization that has lobbied for expanded e-bike access (and that receives financial support from REI), said he\u2019s excited to see e-bikes embraced by the DOI and land management agencies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s some really good things in it. I think it’s great that it acknowledges the class system. That’s going to be a really big tool for land managers to use to better regulate e-bikes on public lands,\u201d he said, but also agreed that the process to integrate them into the existing infrastructure requires a nuanced approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re being attentive to an over-simplification of the rules as agencies tackle this issue,\u201d Logemann said. \u201cWe don’t think it’s as simple as all e-bikes go here and all e-bikes don’t go there. There’s different types of devices, there’s different types of infrastructure, and we really want to see the agencies incorporate that kind of nuance into their policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not all e-bikes are the same. Class 2 e-bikes have throttles that work independently of pedaling. Others have motors that only kick in when you pedal, a function called \u201cpedal-assist.” Class 1 can go 20 mph, Class 3 top out at 28 mph. Bernhardt\u2019s order recognizes the different types of e-bikes, but it makes no distinction in regards to which e-bikes can go where. Which is to say that 28-mile-per-hour bikes could find their way onto multiuse trails with hikers, horses and traditional bicycles.<\/p>\n

The NPS has stated that it will allow all classes of e-bikes on trails as long as the riders also pedal, even on throttle-powered bikes, and follow normal trail-use rules such as speed limits.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe expectation is that people will ride e-bikes in a similar manner and with all the same safety measures as they would a traditional bicycle on a path,\u201d Barnum said. \u201cWe make visitors aware of the rules and regulations, and we ask them out of respect for the park to obey those rules and regulations. We find that the vast majority of our visitors, because they respect national parks, do just that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NPS memo also specifically praises e-bikes\u2019 ability to act as an alternative to fossil-fuel-powered vehicles.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s heartening to see an agency like the Park Service recognize that the new technology can get more people outside, while reducing congestion and greenhouse gases,\u201d said Marc Berejka, REI Co-op’s director of community and government affairs. \u201cStarting with that general principle, we also know there\u2019s work to do to assure that, in specific cases, the trail systems we\u2019ve all spent years stewarding stay intact. Responsible use of our trails is the touchstone.\u201d<\/p>\n

A different bicycling advocacy group\u2060\u2014the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA)\u2060\u2014believes e-bikes should be managed separately from traditional bikes<\/a>. IMBA has long spoken in favor of a measured<\/a> approach that would allow lower-speed, pedal-assist models access to some trails.<\/p>\n

Just as trails have posts marking access for hikers, horses and bicycles, IMBA would like to see another icon that symbolizes access for e-bikes, including the specific class. \u201cWe\u2019re OK with Class 1 e-bikes [on multi-use trails] as long as access isn\u2019t jeopardized,\u201d for traditional mountain bikes, said David Wiens, executive director of IMBA. \u201cWe\u2019ve been clear. [The federal government] has heard from us for a few years now about the importance of Class 1 only. [There should] be separate categories. Keep it distinct.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the NPS has until September 28 to fully implement its e-bike policy, that won\u2019t be the end of the process. Barnum noted there will be more rulemaking in the future to bring regulations that govern bicycle usage in the parks in compliance with the DOI order.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd during that time, in the next year or so as we go through that process, we\u2019ll be accepting public comment and you\u2019ll see some more formal documentation on the policy as well,\u201d said Barnum.<\/p>\n

As the process continues, he says it\u2019s best to call or check each park\u2019s website to see where e-bikes are allowed and where they\u2019re not.<\/p>\n

The mountain biking community is also anxiously waiting to hear how the BLM, manager of many of the West\u2019s most beloved trails, and other DOI agencies will respond to Bernhardt\u2019s order. The BLM has not yet published a statement about how they intend to expand e-bike access. (The U.S. Forest Service is another land management agency that people are looking at, but the Forest Service takes its direction from the Department of Agriculture, not the DOI.)<\/p>\n

Friends of Acadia, which manages an endowment<\/a> that supports maintenance on the carriage roads, hopes there will be a transparent, public process. \u201cWe\u2019re going to ask for meetings to understand the implications, for safety, user conflicts, impact on the roads themselves, and the funding that we put into maintaining these roads,\u201d MacDonald said.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: REI Co-op recently gave PeopleForBikes a <\/i>$110,000 grant<\/i><\/a> to support its cycling advocacy, including $10,000 to support its <\/i>e-bike initiative<\/i><\/a> which promotes greater access for bike riders across the country. REI Co-op recently gave IMBA $75,000 to support its cycling advocacy to increase and maintain access for mountain bike riders. <\/i><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Acadia National Park\u2019s carriage roads are a unique cultural resource within the National Park Service (NPS), perhaps even the country. The 45-mile network of \u201cbroken-stone\u201d roads and historic bridges winds through quiet conifer forests past rocky ocean views. They were built in the first half of the twentieth century by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":81810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[685],"tags":[25,1846,1876,727,1382,692,656,821],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-81782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-cycle","tag-e-bikes","tag-e-mountain-bikes","tag-latest-posts","tag-mountain-bike","tag-news","tag-public-lands","tag-trails"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/news\/can-you-ride-e-bikes-on-public-lands","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Can You Ride Electric Bikes On Public Lands?","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/can-you-ride-e-bikes-on-public-lands","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/can-you-ride-e-bikes-on-public-lands"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/E-MTB_DOI_Order_hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/09\/E-MTB_DOI_Order_hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["cycle","e-bikes","e-mountain bikes","latest posts","mountain bike","news","public lands","trails"],"dateCreated":"2019-09-23T17:37:44Z","datePublished":"2019-09-23T17:37:44Z","dateModified":"2020-06-02T18:23:54Z"},"rendered":"