[Secret Agent Man]

[Ski]

Okay, that's all fine and well, but: WHO is going to be standing at the trailhead and checking the labels (printed in no smaller than 9-point type in an Arial font) displaying the information concerning "Class", "Wattage", and other pertinent information? WHO is going to PAY that person standing at the trailhead who's checking those labels? WHAT mechanism is in place currently in respect to enforcement of any such proposed regulation regarding "Class" of "ebike"? WHAT mechanism is proposed to enforce compliance with the "Class" issue in respect to which trails these devices can be used on? WHAT funding source does this enforcement action come from? The difference, as near as I can tell - please correct me if I'm in error here - is that a "Class 1" ebike requires the user to pedal at times, as opposed to a "Class 2" bike which does not require the user to pedal (but is only capable of motorized assist up to 20 mph), as opposed to a "Class 3" bike which does not require the user to pedal (but is capable of motorized assist up to 28 mph.) Other than a very understandable concern about potential conflicts with organizations like "The Sierra Club" or "The Wilderness Society", why should EMBA have any objections? They're concerned about grant money? Why should I be concerned about their concern about grant money? Respectfully, what this looks like to me is a group effort being made, for reasons I'm not really sure I understand, to impose regulations which cannot be enforced in any practicable fashion, intended to exclude a rapidly growing user group from availing themselves to public infrastructure they've already helped pay for. What part of this picture am I missing? [* and again, to be clear: I do not own a bicycle, motorized or otherwise. I think one of my sisters and brother-in-law just bought a pair, but I haven't heard any reports yet of them actually using them for anything other than tooling around the sprawling metropolis of Steilacoom.)

[Cyclopath]

[Opus]

[Cyclopath]

[Ski]

^ Cyclopath, I'm not sure where you're going with that, but: I know from a conversation years ago with Brenda, one of the managers up at the old Randle Ranger Station (GPNF) that there were issues with "dirtbikes" (aka "motorcycles") using Forest Service roads where they weren't supposed to be. The issues had nothing to do with licensed, not licensed, mufflered, not mufflered, or anything to do with horsepower. Apparently there are (or at least were at that time) gravel-surfaced Forest Service roads on which dirtbikes weren't allowed. As I recall, it was a "safety issue" thing - line of sight and all that. Don't want motorcyclists getting squished by logging trucks. There are no doubt some roads out there on which bicycles - motorized or otherwise - would not be a wise choice for transportation. (North Shore Quinault Road immediately comes to mind.... I almost killed a couple people up there near Finley Creek years ago.)

[trestle]

[Cyclopath]

[Lazyhiker]

[Cyclopath]

[treeswarper]

Ski: Not all of us have such labels on our bikes. I'm thinking that applied to ebikes after 2017 and only to those sold in WA state. My Rad is a 2017. My Gazelle was purchased out of state. Not that anybody would be checking. Hell, the cops don't even enforce real car traffic laws anymore. Why would they bother with bikes? (I almost got hit by a town cop today as he was on his way to running a stop sign.)

[Tom]

[Tom]

[Ski]

[Tom]

On a multi use path it's a moot point as you can exceed the speed limit with or without the assist of an ebike. It's really unfortunate regulation focuses so much on speed limiter. For example it's unlawful to ride a class 3 bike on a sidewalk unless there is no other safe option. But you can ride a class 1 or 2 bike on the same sidewalk. Why? All 3 are equivalent bikes at speeds below 20 mph. The regulation should be that it is unlawful to ride a class 1, 2 or 3 bike faster than x mph on a sidewalk not exclude class 3! Heck the regulation as written makes it legal to ride a class 3 at 28 mph on a sidewalk when it's legal to ride on them. How stupid is that? The whole class 1-3 regulation is flawed and doesn't make any sense in reality. They should have just defined an ebike as a bike with an electric motor up to 1 hp (750 W). None of this horseshit that an ebike can't be ridden on trail or sidewalk if it allows assist beyond 20 mph on a road.