The City Council approved the new definition for the vehicles 5-3 at Tuesday's council meeting. Class 1 e-bikes are defined as a nonmotorized use, which provide power while the rider is pedaling at speeds up to 20 mph. The two other main classes of e-bikes are categorized as motorized uses and would remain not more heavily restricted.
The decision opens the door for e-bikes to be allowed onto some of the city properties managed by the Trails, Open Space and Parks program.
Tuesday's vote comes after months of debate between local outdoor groups about the balance between e-bike demand and the protections for TOPS properties. The TOPS ordinance passed by voters in 1997 does not allow motorized vehicles in the covered parks and any major change to the ordinance is meant to require voter approval.
City attorneys have said that the TOPS ordinance and city code did not have a set definition for "motorized uses" before the council vote. Adding the definition to the general parks code allows it to go into place for all city parks, including TOPS properties, and allows parks department staff to set other rules governing e-bikes.
Council members who supported the change said that they trusted the parks department to carefully manage the e-bike expansion starting this summer. Councilmember David Leinweber compared the e-bike approach to how the city currently divides which parks allow dogs or horses.
If Colorado Springs voters are to decide on electric bikes' legal day in city parks and open spaces, it won't be in April.
Yolanda Avila, Dave Donelson and Mike O'Malley voted against the new policy. O'Malley had raised concerns at previous meetings about the potential fire danger posed by the batteries on e-bikes. Donelson said his vote was largely based on thinking the issue should go to the voters to update TOPS.
"That's the bottom line for me, we cannot redefine words to get around the requirements of an ordinance," Donelson said.
Parks Department Manager Britt Haley said the department would work to create a map of the city's trails to show where the bikes will be allowed on July 1. The rollout would likely begin on the urban trails, another term Haley said wasn't clearly defined but generally meant the wider trails designed for multiple types of use.
Colorado Springs' Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Advisory Board on Thursday narrowly approved a policy to expand electric bike access on city trails.
"The first place where I would feel comfortable saying that the e-bikes are permitted is on the urban and regional trail system, as so many have said, even those who don't necessarily agree with the approach we are taking," Haley said.
Haley said she would also work with the Palmer Lake Conservancy to negotiate over specific parks that have conservation easements. That subset of TOPS properties may continue to prevent e-bikes or need to have an amended agreement passed by the city.
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