Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2018 05 09

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Process In order to effectively provide a recommendation to the Durango City Council based on an understanding of facts, the City of Durango Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Natural Lands Preservation Advisory Board and the Multi Modal Advisory Board will hold a joint public meeting to discuss City policy of electric bicycles on City trails on Monday, September 19, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. at the Durango Community Recreation Center. Following the joint public meeting, City staff and the Advisory Boards will formulate a recommendation to the City Council on the existing e -bike regulations in a future Council Study Session in early 2017. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS What is an e -bike? An electric bicycle (e -bike) is almost identical to a traditional bicycle in appearance, however it has a small electric motor and battery to provide electrical motorized assistance, through a pedal or throttle, to propel the bicycle up hills and along roadways. Below are two e -bike examples, the left e -bike with the electric motor above the rear tire and the e -bike on the right with an electric motor along the interior bike frame (Source: Electric Bicycle Law Basics, by The People for Bikes). The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) defines a low -speed electric bicycle as "a two -or three -wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts (1 h.p.), whose maximum speed on a paved level surface, when powered solely by such a motor while ridden by an operator who weighs 170 pounds, is less than 20 miles per hour." The CPSC adopted this definition in 2003 and vehicles that meet its definition are subject to the CPSC's regulations for bicycles that are solely human powered. The effect of this definition is that low speed electric bicycles that comply with the definition are regulated by the CPSC for their production, initial sale, and recall. There is not a well-developed regulatory scheme for electric bicycles that do not meet the CPSC definition (Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission: Requirements for Low -speed Electric Bicycles). E -BIKE CLASSES In order to modernize electric bicycle law in the United States, the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association (BPSA) devised a three -class system to categorize electric bicycles and properly regulate them based on their maximum assisted speed. The BPSA class system has the following categories of electric bicycles (Source: Electric Bicycle Class Label Information and Electric Bicycle Law Basics, by The People for Bikes): 15