Presented Wednesday to the city's Trails, Open Space and Parks (TOPS) working committee — the board overseeing the 27-year-old fund collecting sales tax revenues for parkland — the proposal represents but the next point of contention in what has been a yearslong controversy over the popular bikes powered by electric motors.
The 1997 voter-approved TOPS ordinance was "the 800-pound gorilla you've got in this room right now," longtime parks advocate Kent Obee said to the working committee Wednesday. "Maybe do some more research, think it through before you come back next month."
Colorado Springs officials present survey results on e-bikes as debate continues
Colorado Springs officials have found public support for expanding electric bike access on city-owned trails.
The committee could decide on the proposed policy at its November meeting. The city's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Advisory Board is set to hear the proposal at its meeting next Thursday; that board would also have to approve the policy before possible consideration by City Council .
The proposal is a shift from a voter-approved change to the TOPS ordinance that parks officials in recent months said would be necessary for e-bikes to be allowed on TOPS-funded properties. Those include Red Rock Canyon , Stratton and Blodgett open spaces and Ute Valley Park .
A ballot measure became the thinking after legal challenges in 2021, when the parks department announced it would allow e-bikes on trails where other bikes were allowed in what was to be a yearlong study period that was canceled.
The proposed policy grants the access previously intended by that pilot program: Defined by their motors providing boosts up to 20 mph while the rider is pedaling, Class 1 e-bikes would be allowed on trails where other bikes are allowed in parks and open spaces. Class 1 and 2 e-bikes (motor assistance up to 20 mph regardless of the rider pedaling) would be allowed on urban, commuter trails.
And then "a sticky and very interesting point of the state statute," Scott Abbott said to the TOPS working committee, explaining the parks department's aim to align with state law. "Local municipalities cannot regulate e-scooters more stringently than e-bikes."
Under the proposed policy, e-scooters would also be allowed with Class 1 e-bikes on trails where other bikes are allowed.
Alongside Obee, Donna Strom shook her head.
Share the trail with an e-bike | Trail Talk
It amuses my daughter when I tell her about rotary phones, party lines and other childhood/young adult realities of an ancient age. She was surprised to learn that bicycles led to the improvement of roads and were actually the parent of the car. (I’m not old enough to remember that transition but my great-grandparents were.) The bike craze was underway as cars were being invented. For that reason alone, bikes should be accorded more respect.
"They're just going down a rabbit hole of increasing complexity, because the technology is not gonna stop," she said.
"Change is inevitable," said Abbott, regional parks, trails and open space manager. "We're trying to do the best we have with the technology and classifications we have right now."
Class 1 and 2 e-bikes and e-scooters would fall under "nonmotorized use" in the ordinance proposed. "A nonmotorized use shall not be deemed use of a motorized vehicle," the draft ordinance reads.
The 1997 TOPS ordinance refers to both "nonmotorized use" and "nonmotorized vehicles." The proposed ordinance attempts to "clarify the ambiguity," a legal representative with the city said at the working committee meeting.
"We're in this realm where there's no definition for these terms," parks department Director Britt Haley said. "As parks director, I need rules and regulations and code provisions that apply to everything in the parks system, not just TOPS. So understanding that the city attorney's office was comfortable with this ordinance approach ... This is a structurally appropriate, legal mechanism to move forward."
The administrative approach mirrors several approaches to e-bikes across Front Range municipalities, local advocates pointed out.
Parks officials in Jefferson County (e-bikes allowed on dirt trails), Boulder County (allowed on "plains" trails) and Larimer County (limited to pavement) went to elected boards in establishing varying levels of access for e-bikes over the years. Many more cities and counties have made decisions since the state in 2017 adopted federal definitions of e-bikes.
In Colorado Springs , the e-bike debate has lingered on the TOPS ordinance and perceptions of a fundamental change to the way a major population shares its wild places. Some see a big change posed by e-bikes, while some see them as hardly different from regular bikes.
Some see e-bikes as critically inclusive, extending the mountain biking life of an older rider and people with disabilities, and furthermore see them increasing on trails already while the city lags on setting a policy and addressing education and enforcement. Those are thoughts of Susan Davis , executive director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition .
E-scooters were "a curveball" meriting more conversation, she said. But she supported the administrative move for Class 1 e-bikes.
If put up for a vote on the ballot, "I really was worried that this could have become a referendum on bicycling generally," Davies said.
Survey is next step toward decision on e-bikes in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs parks officials are taking next steps toward a long-awaited decision on electric-powered bikes' legal fate on city-owned trails.
Ron Ramsey also worried about e-bikes becoming a more heated political issue and campaigns fueling stigmas. "Some sanity has come into the equation," said the e-bike rider who long pushed for Wednesday's proposal.
Ramsey credited Mayor Yemi Mobolade . "I think the mayor spearheaded it a little bit, and the boat changed direction."
Wednesday's presentation cited the proposal "preferred by the mayor."
In a statement, Mobolade said the proposed e-bike policy "aligns with our city’s vision to create a more welcoming place and addresses key objectives in our strategic plan that call for increased accessibility and recreation spaces for all to enjoy."
He added: "We also must ensure that we are creating clear policies that people understand. Clear is kind. We know e-bikes are already being used on city trails, and we need a policy to manage this use."
Cory Sutela , executive director of mountain bike advocacy group Medicine Wheel, suspected the mayor has heard loud support for expanding e-bike access. A city survey this summer, garnering 3,804 responses, reportedly showed about 60% in support of e-bike access outlined by the proposed policy.
"It's not just businesses" giving feedback, Sutela said. "But on the business side, we know for a fact that e-bikes across North America and Europe are displacing regular bike sales. And bike shops and manufacturers would like the opportunity to sell their products and have their products used in more places."
The local bike industry — including major part maker SRAM — "does have a voice," said Keith Thompson , head of Colorado Springs Mountain Bike Association .
"E-bikes are a major economic driver for Colorado Springs ," he said, "and looking backward rather than looking forward would absolutely have an effect on the economic and industry force in Colorado Springs ."
The proposed policy was the right step forward, Thompson said.
Sutela wasn't so sure. His organization has called for a more nuanced approach to e-bikes — carefully considering where they should be allowed rather than on all trails where other bikes are allowed and possibly invite conflict.
"We remain concerned that a blanket approach could lead to a reduction in current access for regular bikes," Sutela said.
And he was concerned about the TOPS ordinance.
"I just reflect on the trust we've been able to build with the community," Sutela told the TOPS working committee Wednesday. "I think we want to be real careful in making changes to the TOPS program without going to the voters and going through the proper channels."
If the proposed policy was approved, changes would not happen fast, Abbott said.
Red Rock Canyon , Stratton and Blodgett open spaces and Ute Valley Park are among properties under conservation easements barring e-bikes, Abbott noted.
The policy recommendation "doesn't mean immediately all of these things are allowable," he said.
"We will continue to go through our easements, our language and our deed restrictions. We will work on rolling out an education program, we will continue working on that enforcement piece that we very desperately want to go with the city ordinance. So there's still a lot of work to do."
© 2024 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
