The Oakley City Council is considering a relatively mundane ordinance: formally barring motor vehicles from a growing network of city trails intended for hikers, bikers and horseback riders.
That includes cars, motorcycles and OHVs. But it also includes unclassified e-bikes, and that’s a novel idea in Utah.
“E-bikes are a really great way to get people outdoors and continue to ride bikes,” said Rachel Fussell, senior manager of recreation policy at People For Bikes, a national cycling lobbying organization. “Because of that, a lot of states are seeing an influx of bike riders, both on paved streets and roads and also on paved and natural surface trails. And there's a patchwork of regulations across the nation and in every state on where they're allowed and where they’re not.”
Fussell helped Utah lawmakers draft a law that went into effect May 1. It’s the first time the Utah Legislature has acknowledged what People For Bikes has termed “out-of-class electric vehicles.”
House Bill 85
The new law doesn’t exactly say what OCEVs are, but it says what they’re not: they’re the e-bikes that don’t fit into Utah law’s three categories.
Class 1 e-bikes are pedal-assisted but without a throttle, and they reach 20 mph. Class 2 e-bikes are pedal-assisted with a throttle and reach 20 mph too.
Class 3 e-bikes are pedal-assisted, have no throttle and reach 28 mph.
“But there's a growing category of other types of electric vehicles, or motos, that are not within that definition,” Fussell said. “So the intent was really to make it more clear for consumers when they're purchasing in stores or online, what they are buying.”
The new state law, House Bill 85, requires that out-of-class e-bikes come with a label that says they aren’t e-bikes.
It doesn’t formally expand the definition of motor vehicle, but Oakley’s proposed ordinance would—within Oakley city limits.
“If an electric bike does not have a sticker classification of class 1, class 2 or class 3 designation, it is considered a motor vehicle,” the draft ordinance reads.
Riding motorized vehicles on city trails, unless explicitly allowed, would be a class C misdemeanor. That’s punishable by up to 90 days in jail or a $750 fine.
It’s the latest chapter in a county and regional conversation about how to handle e-bikes.
A wider issue
John Adams, a bicycle quality engineering manager who lives in Summit Park, has noted the surge in e-bikes’ popularity at a past Summit County Council meeting.
“Today it’s not just mainstream; we’re starting to outsell our traditional bikes,” Adams told the county back in July. “Trail bike to trail bike—the e-bikes are starting to outsell them.”
That was the meeting where Summit County finalized uniform e-bike restrictions with Park City.
They’re now banned on Park City and Snyderville Basin singletrack, with exceptions for older and disabled residents.
Officials have also instituted a 15 mph speed limit across the board on paved bike paths.
Oakley city councilmembers read their ordinance for the first time Aug. 28. They haven’t yet scheduled a meeting to consider whether they will adopt it.
