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Page 5 of 8 There may be concern that e-bike users would be subject to conflicting obligations when operating their e-bikes on trails the City shares with neighboring jurisdictions. For example, the East Bay Regional Park District only allows Class I and Class II e-bikes on specified trails and appears to prohibit Class III e-bikes on all of their trails.5 For those City trails that tie directly to EBRPD trails, several options may be available to avoid imposing competing obligations on e- bike users. Signage could be erected at trailhead entrances to notify e-bike users that Class III e- bikes may not be allowed on all trails, such as those under EBRPD jurisdiction. In the alternative, the City could restrict Class III e-bikes from those specific trails that tie directly to EBPRD trails. Staff recommendations based on practical challenges, mobility benefits, and public safety Staff considered the practical challenges of regulating e-bike use based on the Class of e-bike, the mobility that e-bikes provide to City residents, and public safety in arriving at its recommendation to permit all classes of e-bike use in the City, subject to speed limitations and safe operation requirements. Staff’s recommendation takes into consideration the difficulties of enforcing regulation based on an e-bikes class due to the difficulty in visually determining the class of e-bike during operation.6 The visual profile of an e-bike, regardless of whether the e-bike utilizes pedal or throttle assistance, remains the same while in use. For Class 1 and Class 3 e-bikes, the motor resides on the pedals of the bicycle; whereas for Class 2 e-bikes, the motor resides on the rear hub of the bicycle. See Exhibit A. Unless the rider is stopped and the e-bike examined, there are few visual indicators differentiating one class of e-bike from another. Though an e-bike’s electric motor will cease providing assistance to the rider when the maximum speed is reached, depending on the class of e-bike; it remains difficult to visually determine the class of e-bike when an e-bike travels below the maximum speed of its respective motor. Staff’s recommendation takes into consideration the mobility aspects that e-bikes provide to City residents. E-bikes, by their nature, provide propulsion assistance to the operator. This assistance has several mobility benefits for a wide variety of City residents. For those City residents who have been reluctant to engage in cycling due to the physical demands of operating a traditional bicycle, e-bikes provide a viable mobility option both for recreation and for commuter travel. For those City residents who already engage in cycling, e-bikes provide a means for cyclists to continue to engage in this activity as residents’ physical abilities decline. Lastly, e-bikes provide 5 See East Bay Regional Parks District Ordinance 38 – Rules and Regulations, Sections 902. Operation of Motor Vehicles; Off-Road Vehicles and 902.3 Exceptions, subsection (e) 6 Typically, the design of pedal-assisted e-bikes places the electric motor on the drive train of the bicycle: this is the area of the bicycle where the “transmission” of the bicycle resides and where “crank arms” of the pedals attach to the bottom bracket on the frame of the bicycle. Class 1 and Class 3 e-bikes fall under this design because these two classes are pedal-assisted e-bikes. For Class 1 and Class 3 e-bikes, the electric motor is engaged when the rider is pedaling. In throttle-assisted e-bikes, such as Class 2 e-bikes, the electric motor is typically placed on the rear wheel of bicycle’s frame where the rear wheel attaches to the frame. For Class 2 e-bikes, the electric motor is engaged when the throttle is activated. The throttle can range from a crank -type throttle located on the grip of the front handle bar, to a button-type throttle located on the gear shift on the front handle bar. See Exhibit A. For all classes of e-bikes, the electric motor will cease providing assistance when the maximum speed limit is reached.