Should Electric Bikes Be Allowed on Hiking Trails?

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Nobody loves electric bikes more than I do. That said, as the market for them grows, their designs are starting to get a little bit overpowered. Dual motors, wattages over 10kw and other such developments are turning them into what amounts to quasi-legal stealth motorcycles.

This may be fine if they're used in the city and mingle with traffic. But what about places intended for foot traffic and conventional bicycles? Such as dedicated bike paths, sidewalks or hiking trails? The question becomes somewhat more muddled then.

In much of the world, the legal limit for the wattage of an electric bicycle motor is 250. That's laughably weak and not much good for anything. On the other hand, in my state it's 1,000 watts. Arguably more than necessary, though I appreciate the leniency.

There have been countless times when I was out riding that I called out "on your left!" or "on your right!" when coming up behind a jogger, dog walker, etc. on the bike path with the intent to pass them. But very often, they cannot hear me because they're listening to music on earbuds.

Who is at fault here? I'd say neither of us. Yet there's an obvious problem, isn't there? The situation is unsafe, and understandably there have been legal challenges to electric bikes in many countries (and states in the US) by people who do not feel safe sharing paths and trails with them.

Initially the response was draconian. NYC banned electric bikes outright for a while. Many state parks flat out banned them from entering, and that's still widely the case. Still other parks have selectively permitted bikes fitting certain criteria, on certain trails, which imo is a more reasonable and nuanced reaction.

I love to bike. Specifically ebikes, as they give you all the fun of cycling with none of the work. I also love nature. Combining the two is a recipe for unparalleled joy, familiar to anybody who reads my eBike Exploration posts. But I don't want to make anybody feel unsafe.

Besides setting aside certain trails for electric bikes, permitting conventional bikes as well but not pedestrians with the understanding that they will encounter higher speed ebikes, I think part of the solution is increased public awareness of ebikes.

That part of the problem ought to largely solve itself over time as people become more aware of the existence and usage of electric bikes, so they'll be less oblivious when walking on paths where they're likely to encounter them. This is the case in China where ebikes have been the dominant form of transport for more than a decade.

No pedestrian in China is oblivious to ebikes. They are so widespread there that foremost in the minds of pedestrians is a paranoia about ebikes that may be approaching them from behind, the sides, etc. As such ebikes in China have their own separated lanes alongside roads.

That's the first half of the solution I discussed earlier, setting aside part of the transportation ecosystem just for ebikes to inhabit. The second half is public awareness, which if China is any indication, is going to happen organically over time.

Whether law makers cotton to this two-part solution or not, time will tell. So far it's looking good. Cooler heads are prevailing and many areas with outright bans on ebikes have since relaxed those rules to permit them in certain areas, under certain conditions.

That won't satisfy everybody, but that's the nature of compromise. eBikes are themselves a compromise between bicycle and motorcycle. Between powered and unpowered transport, and a way to get into electric vehicles on a budget. That's arguably their greatest strength.

Recognition of that tremendous value proposition, being able to own an electrically powered vehicle for a small fraction of the price of an electric car, should temper discussion of ebike bans. How can we ask people to reduce their carbon footprint in one breath, then forbid them from taking the cheapest path to that goal in the next?

What other option for clean, powered personal transport exists that's financially within reach of the poor? Should electric transport be the exclusive hobby of the wealthy? It can't be, if it's going to make any dent at all in global emissions. It needs to be within reach of everybody.

Electric bicycles neatly bridge that gap. The fact that electric transport is a class issue often escapes the consideration of law makers, but with any luck as they continue to explore the issue, this aspect of it will occur to them. But enough of my thoughts on the matter. What do you think?

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^{Stay Cozy!}