21 Oct 2018
City taking public comments and reviewing one-year electric bike trial period Wednesday
The City of Durango will be taking public comments on and reviewing the electric bike pilot program at 5:00 p.m. this Wednesday at the Durango Community Recreation Center.
This is my friend riding an electric bike on the River Trail in Steamboat Springs.
Over the past year, the City of Durango has allowed Class I and II electrical bicycles on several hard-surface trails, as well as on one soft-surface trail during a trial period.
Hard-surface trails where they were allowed included the Animas River Trail, the Goeglein Gulch Road Trail, and the Florida Road Trail.
The only soft-surface trail where they were allowed to ride during the trial period was the Chapman Hill dirt connector that goes from Florida Road at Chapman Hill up to Fort Lewis College.
At the meeting this Wednesday, the Natural Lands Preservation Advisory Board, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, and the Multi-Modal Advisory Boards will meet jointly to take public comments and talk about the electric bike pilot program.
As of September 20, 2018, the electric bike pilot program had completed a one-year trial period that was previously authorized by the three boards at the recommendation of an electric bike subcommittee.
Generally speaking, the Natural Lands Preservation Advisory Board does not agree with allowing electric bikes on most of its soft-surface trails. Recently, however, there has been some discussion on the board about the possibility of allowing electric bikes on the trails at Twin Buttes.
Historical information regarding electric bikes on public trails that was compiled before the pilot program started can be found on the City of Durango’s website: www.durangogov.org/
If you have any comments to send to the city about the E-Bike Pilot Program, email rec@durangogov.org.
Now is the time to speak your mind about ebikes on our trails! See you this Wednesday, Durango!
Adam Howell is a writer who is on the City of Durango’s Natural Lands Preservation Advisory Board. He can be reached by clicking on this link to the contact page.
