The Heber City Council moved quickly to add e-bike rules to the books after Midway leaders proposed county-wide regulations to curb reckless riders.
At a meeting Tuesday, April 15, Heber City Manager Matt Brower said recent incidents on the trails have made clear the need for new rules.
“About two weeks ago, there was, as I understand it, a juvenile who was using an e-motorcycle on a backcountry, soft-surface trail, damaging the trail,” he said. “He came across a volunteer; the young juvenile was belligerent [and] called his father, who was equally belligerent. And that’s why this policy is before you tonight, because we recognize Heber City currently does not have a policy, and we are in need of one.”
The e-bike ordinance allows people to use their e-bikes or e-scooters on paved paths and sidewalks in Heber, and it allows the least powerful kind of e-bike, known as class one, on backcountry trails.
City engineer Russ Funk asked why he couldn’t bring a class two e-bike, which is a little more powerful than class one due to a throttle, on soft-surface trails.
Tori Broughton, a planning commissioner who also runs Trek Bike on Heber’s Main Street, said the rule helps protect trails. More powerful bikes tend to spin out more easily and damage the singletrack.
“Once you add a throttle, that’s when you start to get into trail degradation,” she said. “So, I think that the lack of throttle is actually what has helped e-bikes gain access to trails.”
In neighboring Summit County, no e-bikes are allowed on soft-surface trails. Within Park City limits, only riders 65 and older or who have a mobility disability can use e-bikes on the singletrack.
Heber’s rules stipulate that any violation of the new e-bike ordinance will be a Class B misdemeanor, which carries penalties of up to $1,000 in fines or up to six months in jail. Park City’s regulations list the violation as an infraction, punishable by up to $750 in fines.
City attorney Jeremy Cook said he recommended adding some guidelines about riding prudently.
“You should yield to pedestrians – you cannot operate them in a negligent manner,” he said.
The ordinance also requires e-bikers to stay within a “reasonable and prudent” speed but does not specify a speed limit. That’s on par with Midway’s new rules, but different from Summit County’s across-the-board 15 mph limit.
Wasatch County has not yet discussed adding e-bike rules for unincorporated areas of the county.
