PITKIN COUNTY BANS E-BIKES ON ALL TRAILS

Pitkin County commissioners have reaffirmed a ban on electric-assisted bicycles on all trails.

The emergency ordinance, which took effect immediately, is set to last until May 1. It comes in response to a state law that goes into effect Wednesday and allows e-bikes to be used on all trails accessible to bicycles and pedestrians, Pitkin County manager Jon Peacock said.

“This is designed to give our community time for a more thorough discussion about the issue,” Peacock said.

Pitkin County’s Open Space and Trails program currently prohibits e-bikes on all the trails it controls, including the popular Rio Grande Trail, he said. People who are “mobility impaired” are the only users allowed to operate the ebikes on paved trails.

E-bikes are prohibited on all soft-surface and singletrack trails owned by the Open Space Program, said Lindsey Utter, the program’s planning and outreach manager.