Weiss said the Missoula City Council raised the issue after bike-sharing companies asked them if they could add electric bikes to their fleets. After several bike stores said e-bikes were the fastest growing part of their business, “we knew we wanted to stay one step ahead,” Weiss said. Barry said his company only sells Type 1 electric bikes and he would support allowing those bikes on trails — but not the other two guys he said are more similar to a motorcycle or off-road motorcycle. Part of the challenge is to define what matters as an “electric bike” as opposed to a “motor vehicle.” This is becoming more and more difficult as manufacturers constantly add modifications and produce heavier or faster motorcycles. “I`d hate to see this topic evolve into a matter of `yes, electric bikes,` `No electric bikes,`” Jewett said. I think there are suitable places for e-bikes, and many communities have found these places suitable, but they are simply not suitable for our South Hills, which are not motorized at the moment. Montana law requires bicycles to be equipped with functional brakes, a white headlight visible from five hundred feet away when it comes to dark, reflective equipment visible on at least three hundred feet, and a red reflector or taillight. Montana also stipulates that colorless or amber pedal reflectors must be installed. Weiss was asked to describe Missoula`s management of e-bikes as part of the committee`s study on bike and pedestrian paths and the associated safety and funding challenges. Missoula Senator Diane Sands asked Weiss if lawmakers should be more proactive in regulating e-bikes across the state or simply clean up some of the more vague wording of the 2015 bill. You will find that something that is evident in other states is missing here: safe passage. In 2017, legislation was proposed to define a safety distance for cyclists passing bicycles, but this has not yet been included in the law.
Much of the safety when driving or where they are supposed to ride is currently left to the cyclist, which means that both the driver and the cyclist must ensure that they take care of each other to avoid accidents. In bold, cyclists can ride in the lane and cyclists can cross the yellow double lane when overtaking cyclists as long as the bike is running within half the speed limit. Bikes are encouraged to stay on the right side, but nothing in the books requires them to do so. However, the idea of allowing electric bikes in nature parks is not suitable for everyone. Tony Jewett, a member of the helena Hikes group, said he didn`t want to see exceptions to the rules against motor traffic. He said there are many local roads and trails that are already open to e-bikes. Yes, it`s the new federal standard, but each district can set its own rules for trips by electric bike behind closed doors. Some of the high-profile BLM areas (for hangar hunting) here in Wyoming are patrolled hard enough for e-bikes used behind closed doors. On Monday, Ben Weiss, head of the Missoula city`s bicycle/pedestrian program, told the Transportation Legislative Committee that Missoula took a close look at electric bikes last spring and summer before becoming one of the first cities in Montana to officially allow it on paved roads and bike paths like the Kim Williams Trail.
WYOMING Wyoming classifies e-bikes as “e-bikes” and has the same traffic rules as human-powered bikes. Electric bikes are not subject to licensing or registration. In general, any natural surface path open to motorized vehicles is also open to electric bikes. Wyoming State Parks allows Class 1 electric bikes on non-motorized trails that allow bikes. Electric bicycles are considered motorized vehicles in the federal state. Municipal employees studied e-bike policies in other western communities. Most of them allow Class 1 bikes on paved paths, but restrict them in open spaces or ban them altogether. HELENA – Helena city leaders are addressing the issue of where e-bikes or e-bikes should be allowed in the city – and in particular whether they are allowed to ride on trails in open ground. Some in Missoula feared that fast and quiet e-bikes would be dangerous for pedestrians, while others argued that e-bikes would allow more people to get around without a car. Man, it didn`t dispel the confusion a little bit for me. BLM allowed on all roads and paths open to normal bicycles.
Now it is or is it not? Can this vary by state or BLM office? Electric bikes have become a growing problem in communities across the region. At Great Divide Cyclery in Helena, owner Dan Barry says up to 20% or 30% of the bikes he sells are now electrically assisted. He said many of the people who use them are already dedicated drivers. Montana law does not prohibit driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. However, we still would not recommend it, for the same reason we would say that you should wear a helmet: it is much safer to ride sober and with a helmet than without walking or riding under the influence! It is illegal to drive attached to a moving vehicle, and a bicycle cannot carry more people than there are properly mounted seats (usually one). Montana also has no laws for unprotected road users. The year 2020 has been a turning point for the regulation of electric bikes and in particular for how they are classified and where they can be used. The aim of this directive is to expand leisure opportunities and change the current regulation of electric bikes due to its growing popularity. The big debacle, of course, is whether e-bikes should be allowed on roads and paths where only non-motorized use is allowed.
The purpose of this is to alleviate confusion and inconsistencies with the current situation that each state has for its public lands. The biggest conclusion is that there is no fixed and quick rule to close the areas for electric bikes. With sufficient support from the public, any trail allowed for regular mountain bikes could be made accessible for the use of electric bikes. Regardless of the state in which you go to use an electric bike, it is recommended to contact the administrative office of the country or forest where you want to recreate yourself. In the end, Missoula`s rapid growth was the deciding factor. The city council decided to allow pedal-assisted electric bikes or accelerators on pedestrian paths as long as they could not exceed 20 miles per hour. However, they are not allowed on urban hiking trails. Anything that is faster is considered a moped.
The BLM opened a 60-day comment period during which it received 24,000 comments from the public at the end of 2020, helping to guide the direction of this new order. The BLM reported that there were many comments supporting the proposed rule, with some calling for more opportunities for people to ride e-bikes on public lands and for e-bikes to be treated by land managers in the same way as traditional non-motorized bikes. Under current regulations, e-bikes are managed as VROs and may be approved on roads and trails located in areas designated as “open” or “restricted” for the use of VROs in applicable land use plans based on site-specific considerations. At present, e-bikes are not allowed in areas where land use plans have been closed for the use of PHEVs, some of which include roads and trails accessible to traditional non-motorized bicycles. Since this rule gives officers the opportunity to make a decision that excludes Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes from the definition of VROs, the final regulations could facilitate the use of e-bikes on roads and trails in areas closed to the use of PHEVs and help the BLM achieve its goal of providing better access to public lands. especially for people with disabilities. This new regulation will provide authorized signatories with more flexibility in managing e-bikes in the future and provide an additional opportunity to achieve greater consistency with neighboring land managers and other state and federal agencies. Bicycles are considered vehicles because cyclists enjoy all the rights and obligations that the driver of a vehicle has (with the exception of certain circumstances that would not apply to bicycles and cars anyway).