E-bike ban continues to spark debate
No topic has garnered as much interest in recent years as the debate over different classes of e-bikes and a plan to ban Class 2 and 3 ebikes from parts of the Okanagan Rail Trail.
The situation is evolving day-by-day. Regional District of North Okanagan directors will vote Wednesday on whether to allow class 2 e-bikes (class 1 plus a throttle) on its section of the rail trail.
RDNO’s Greater Vernon Advisory Committee has already approved in principle allowing class 2 there after receiving an online petition with more than 4,000 signatures.
The Sheriff has received numerous emails with opinions ranging from completely banning all e-bikes from trails with pedestrians to those with physical challenges worried about losing trail access.
The Sheriff argues e-bikes aren’t the safety problem; it is road cyclists going much faster and approaching other trail users without warning .
From Bruce: “Did a little looking on the trail yesterday: 38 standard bikes and only 4 e-bikes. All 4 e-bikes had bells and not one standard bike had a bell.”
From Dale: “As an arthritis sufferer who is dependant on the ease of getting back up to travelling speed after sharp corners or for use on grades where I need throttle assistance, I was fully prepared to take them (RDNO) to court if they ever tried to bar me from using trails. This low-impact exercise is the best way possible to get the exercise I need.
“People don’t realize that with the class 2 throttle, it is very easy to get back up to speed after slowing whenever I meet people with dogs, groups of people, etc. Being an old retired guy, I often will stop and say hello to the dogs that obviously want to say hello, and have a conversation with the owners. Lots of weeks, that is my only face-to-face conversation with anyone.”
Ken: “I think it is also important that people passing on these trails understand that not everyone can hear a bell or a yell. Many deaf and hard-of-hearing people love to walk and ride on these trails. And that means when passing, people must make the assumption the person did not hear them and operate accordingly.”
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By autumn, you will have a safe route to walk and cycle between the Okanagan Rail Trail and Rutland.
Thanks to $2.4-million federal grant, the City of Kelowna is extending the
Houghton Road active transportation corridor down Lester Road to Leathead Road, then across Highway 97 to Enterprise Way to connect to the rail trail.
Lester Road will be closed to traffic except for residents, during construction that started Monday, but pedestrian and sidewalk access will be maintained.
Construction is 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on Monday-Friday.
The Splatsin First Nation in Enderby is seeking a $12.5-million federal grant in partnership with the Regional District of North Okanagan and Columbia Shuswap Regional District to develop 42.6 kilometres of the 50-kilometre Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail. The final 7.4-kilometre section near Armstrong will be considered for other grant applications.
Proponents say this non-motorized recreational pathway would create an active transportation corridor for walking and bicycling between Sicamous and Spallumcheen creating new tourism and transportation benefits for the region.
Plans include conducting archeological impact assessments, trail clearing, site preparation, construction with a gravelbased surface, parking, fencing, shoreline protection, signage and drainage improvements.
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The Regional District of North Okanagan used Whistler as one example of a class 2 e-bike ban.
However, “Whistler’s e-bike policy has not been formalized, Penny Buswell Lafrance, communications officer with the Resort Municipality of Whistler, told the Sheriff.
It aligns with Recreation Sites and Trails BC’s e-bike policy (April 2019) which classified class 2 and 3 e-bikes as motor vehicles — “desirable because of the overlapping jurisdiction when it comes to trails, and also for providing consistency to the public,” she said.
Parks planning staff believed class 2 e-bikes didn’t qualify as a motor-assisted cycle because they could be propelled by throttle alone, she said.
If Whistler updates or formalizes the draft policy, it would seek class 2 clarification from the province or a legal opinion, she said.
“At present, the RMOW continues to monitor e-bike use patterns within our jurisdiction as well as observe the fast changing e-mobility device landscape, pilot e-mobility programs in other jurisdictions, as well as provincial regulations that are either changing, evolving or are completely new.”
Whistler is especially concerned about Whistler’s Valley Trail, a popular multimodal paved recreational trail used by people of all ages on bikes, e-bikes and skateboards, on foot and walking dogs.
“Fast bikes present a potential hazard to other users. During public engagement, the public clearly stated a preference to exclude fast e-bikes as well as e-bikes that do not require the user to pedal in order to move,” she said.
However, Peter Ladner, chair of BC Cycling Coalition, said in a letter to the local Pique Magazine: “Vastly expanding e-bike trips is a no-brainer, especially for an active community like Whistler.” But relegating classes 2-3 to “dangerously unprotected highway shoulders” is not viable.
“Seriously expanding e-bike use will take safe, dedicated, protected commuter bicycle lanes, which do not exist in Whistler. Multi-use paths like the wandering Valley Trail don’t cut it when cyclists and pedestrians are not separated, pedestrians have the right-of-way, speeds are limited to 15 km/h and cyclists can’t ride through popular destinations like Whistler Village.”