Electric bikes have taken off in recent times, thanks to cheaper know-how and a pandemic that led folks to search for extra methods to get out and go. On a given sunny day on the Coastside, e-bikes, scooters and skateboards could be seen zooming across the Coastal Trail, the Eastside Parallel Trail and Naomi Patridge Trail. Now that the bikes are out of the storage, native governments are taking a look at methods to regulate their use.
The metropolis of Half Moon Bay is at the moment analyzing the way it ought to regulate these digital automobiles on present and future trails, and whether or not guidelines ought to be totally different for the aforementioned metropolis paths. Last week, the Half Moon Bay City Council held a research session to talk about this subject with the objective of modernizing its municipal code to replicate 6-year-old modifications to the California Vehicle Code that decide how and the place e-bikes are regulated.
The metropolis’s municipal code for automobile use off public highways was final up to date in 1983, and was primarily designed to maintain small gasoline motors, like these in dune buggies and bikes, off of sidewalks, Public Works Director John Doughty mentioned. But in 2016, e-bikes had been faraway from the California Vehicle Code and now not categorized as “motor vehicles.”
The state defines a Class 1 electrical bicycle as a pedal-assisted motor able to going 20 miles per hour. Class 2 bikes have an electrical motor that may attain 20 mph with out pedaling. Class 3 bikes use a pedal-assisted motor to attain up to 28 mph. Currently, Class 3 e-bikes aren’t allowed on Half Moon Bay trails and paths.
State regulation permits the usage of all e-bike lessons on any public streets, however native businesses can decide whether or not they’re permitted on paths and trails. The state at the moment prohibits the usage of Class 3 e-bikes on trails and paths until a public company with jurisdiction chooses to particularly allow them. California State Parks and San Mateo County have chosen to permit Class 1 and a couple of e-bikes on their respective properties on the Coastside.
Last week metropolis council members mentioned they didn’t have sufficient info to rush into a policy resolution with out extra suggestions from residents and different jurisdictions. It requested a public survey of path customers and time to seek the advice of with businesses which have numerous expertise with recreation trails, together with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, town’s Parks and Recreation Committee, California State Parks and San Mateo County.
“If we take ourselves seriously as a coastal visitor-serving community under the Coastal Act, we should be prepared to do the work necessary to collaborate with neighboring jurisdictions and authorities,” Mayor Debbie Ruddock mentioned.
Because of the prevalence of electrical bikes, scooters and skateboards on the paths, town is anxious with security and limiting dashing and congestion. The council additionally appeared prepared to prohibit gas-fueled bikes, scooters and skateboards. Doughty famous it is doable town might set up digital pace restrict displays on the paths.
Enforcement remains to be a query mark. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office might implement the foundations, however council is aware of that seemingly can be restricted. That’s as a result of, as Doughty mentioned, it’s arduous to distinguish between totally different lessons of bikes simply by taking a look at them, not to mention discovering out their pace.
“It makes any enforcement that might occur very difficult,” he mentioned.
Any ordinance wouldn’t apply to the parts of the Coastal Trail inside California State Parks. Some residents on the assembly mentioned they used town’s trails to mitigate site visitors on the roads. Both council members and audio system famous it might be higher to maintain the foundations constant alongside the Coastal Trail. The council additionally acknowledged that many older folks and youngsters depend on electrical bikes.
“People want a seamless experience,” Ruddock mentioned. “The user experience has to matter, it’s not just seeing the ocean, it’s seamless enjoyment of the entire stretch.”