Park City Council gears up to reevaluate e-bike policies

Summit bike share. Photo: TownLift

PARK CITY, Utah — The Park City Council will review the city’s policies on electric bikes (E-bikes) and mountain bikes (E-MTB) at its meeting on Tuesday, August 29.

The Council will discuss and consider regulation on the city’s policies for E-bikes on multi-use pathways in Park City, as well as E-MTB on natural surface trails. No action is expected to be taken at this time.

According to a Park City staff report authored by Heinrich Deters, trails and open space program manager, E-bike usage is increasing citywide, bringing growing concerns over the safety of E-bikes on the city’s multi-use pathway system.

“The City Council received considerable feedback about the speeds at which some bicyclists travel along various sections of the paved pathways within our town,” said the staff report. “It’s important to acknowledge that the perception of speed can be significant regardless of how fast or slow a cyclist is going.”

According to data gathered from the Rail Trail near Chatham Hills during this summer season, out of over 5,000 users, 71% of cyclists maintained speeds below 15 miles per hour. However, 25% traveled between 16-25 miles per hour.

The Trails and Open Space and Transportation Planning departments developed the following options for the Council to consider:

1.  Implementing speed limits on multi-use pathways.
2.  Implementing speed bumps/chicanes on multi-use pathways.
3. Implementing signage and striping on multi-use pathways.
4. Widening multi-use pathways.
5. Providing separate lanes for different types of rail users.

The Park City Council meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Marsac Municipal Building, located at 445 Marsac Avenue in Park City, in the City Council Chambers. Virtual attendance options are also available.