Should electric bikes and perhaps electric scooters be allowed on the carriage roads at Acadia National Park?/Rebecca Latson file
A story caught my eye the other day. It centered on electric bikes, and where they can roam in the National Park System. The story centered around Acadia National Park in Maine and raised the prospect that e-bikes might one day be allowed to travel the park's iconic carriage roads. Is that a good idea?
For now, the park is blocking the motorized bikes from heading down the carriage roads, which are restricting to muscle-powered cyclists, hikers, and equestrian travelers. But the AP story adds that "new rules are expected in the coming weeks."
“I’m hoping that they’re going to come to reality,” said one of the cyclists interviewed by the AP. “This will get more popular as time goes on.”
Well, there are a lot of popular things out there, but do they all deserve access in the parks? Remember Segways? What about those electric scooters that are all the rage in metropolitan areas? Will they be next to seek access to trails and areas normally off-limits to motorized vehicles?
In Canada, a pilot program is under way to test e-bikes on trails in Jasper National Park.
"There's a lot of places in the national park that are accessible by bike but maybe not to the entire general public due to limitations on fitness, etc.," Marc Vien, sales manager at Jasper Source for Sports, told CBC News. "But those e-bikes allow people to get to those places easily."
Tell us, travelers, how much access in the National Park System should electric bikes have?
Comments
At 60 years old my husband and I moved part time to NC. We bought e- Trail Bikes so we could enjoy the trails with our bad hips and knees. Without the power assist pedals we could not enjoy riding places we could not hike to. Please allow people with age and mobility issues enjoy these wonderful trails! The sport shouldn't just be for the young and robust. These bikes have no more impact than a regular bike. The motors are low powered and offer assistance only. Let us enjoy the trails with everyone else!
I live at 8,000 ft in a ski resort town. Most roads lead up hill. A lot of visitors have a hard time biking flat roads and up hill at this elevation. Several years ago electric bikes were introduced here, this town is a perfect example of how e-bikes and people walking can play safely in harmony. Electric bikes makes it fun for the whole family to enjoy a bike ride here. Weather you are old or young you can enjoy the beauty of this place on a electric bike. It creates jobs here. We have bike paths and our bike paths have hikers, walkers, joggers, mountain bikes, runners, road bikes, large families walking and electric bikes. Everyone is playing by the rules walkers see a bike coming they step aside, just like when hikers see mules or horses on a trail. I see people and families riding at speeds going downhill that are safe. If people want to ride faster down hill they go on off the bike path and on the road. This town is a perfect example of how electric bikes work with all different people on one bike path.My answer is try it e-bikes in National Parks. Make changes if needed to make it safe for everyone. Let all ages enjoy the park you will see smiles, laughter and it gets people out of their cars and not to mention a little exercise.
Only class one, peddle assist only and maximum speed of 20 mph.
NO
i think for the time being they should be restricted to areas where motor vehicles are allowed to travel.
No. Not on trails or paths. Preserve some peace and quiet.
No access please. i can easily foresee riders disregarding rules prompting collisions with bikers and hikers. Carriage roads were designed to be places for the leisurely enjoyment of Acadia's beauty. Allowing motorized vehicles of any kind will, I believe, ultimately spoil the roads for that purpose.
I have been to many national parks over the years and enjoyed hiking on many trails in those parks, and I have also cycled on many routes where bicycles are allowed. Much of the enjoyment is the effort you put into it and the achievement you feel when you have hiked a particular trail. I do not think that we need motorized bikes on trails and roads that are already sometimes more crowded than we would like. There are plenty of places in most parks for those who are not "physically able" to enjoy without getting on an e- bike. What's next? Elevators to Angels Landing for those who can't hike it, a tram ride to get to the top of El Capitan? It's more important to spend money on maintenance in the parks and on the present problems of overcrowding and congestion in the large, popular parks. That would help make the parks more enjoyable to people.