SOMERSET COUNTY, MD - The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is seeking public input on a proposed regulation allowing pedal-assist electric bicycles on State Park Trails.
Existing regulations treat e-bikes as motorized vehicles, meaning riders can only operate them in parking lots and on roads.
Officials with Maryland DNR told WBOC that the increased popularity of e-bikes led them to draft the new regulation. According to the U.S., e-bike sales quadrupled between 2019 and 2022.
"We've been getting a tremendous amount of requests for access and to increase accessibility," said Sandi Olek, Director of DNR's Office of Outdoor Recreation. "To keep up with their friends or family members, or to be able to still participate in a sport or an activity that they once did."
If this regulation is adopted, the Whitetail Trail at Janes Island State Park in Somerset County would be one of Maryland's pathways impacted.
Jennifer Mathews of Clarksville, Delaware, has traveled south to Janes Island for years. She said e-bikes can be particularly helpful for older people or those struggling with physical impairment.
"I have several friends that can't go very far on a regular bike," Mathews said. "So, a motorized bike, they're able to see a lot more ... be able to travel more and feel like they have a lot more freedom."
Thirty-six states, including Maryland, observe a three-class e-bike classification system.
For class 1 and Class 3 bikes, electric assist does not activate unless a person pedals and assistance ceases when the bike reaches 20 miles per hour.
Class 2 bikes have a throttle function and do not require pedaling. Under the proposed regulation, Class 2 e-bikes are only allowed on trails if the bike is adaptive.
DNR is accepting public input on the proposal through September 22. Comments can be emailed to outdoorrecreation.dnr@maryland.gov, or through an online comment form.
Olek said the department will use the information collected during the period to revise the draft regulation, with the goal of implementing it in late October.
Longtime Janes Island visitor and analog bike rider Earl Timm thinks allowing e-bikes is okay if they are used cautiously.
"Some of those bikes can do like 35, 40 miles an hour, and you know, if you're just on a regular bike and you're just cruising along ... somebody comes flying past you, could startle you," Timm said.
Officials from the Office of Outdoor Recreation said they plan to monitor the impact of e-bikes on state park trails closely and empower land managers to prohibit e-bike usage in areas without appropriate infrastructure.