{"id":858,"date":"2026-05-30T23:10:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T23:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=858"},"modified":"2026-05-30T23:10:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T23:10:19","slug":"marin-considers-letting-some-e-bikes-on-open-space-trails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=858","title":{"rendered":"Marin considers letting some e-bikes on open space trails"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Marin County might permit people to ride class 1 electric bikes in county open space preserves where conventional bikes are allowed.<\/p>\n

Read more Notre Dame-Belmont wins first CCS title in nearly two decades, shutting out Branham<\/a><\/p>\n

The Parks and Open Space Commission kicked off what figures to be a lively public debate of the issue at its meeting on May 21. E-bike proponents were well represented at the meeting, while only three people spoke in opposition.<\/p>\n

Ari Golan, the county parks superintendent, reminded the audience that dogs, horses and bicycles are permitted only on official fire roads and trails.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther informal routes may exist within the preserves, including wildlife paths or social trails,\u201d Golan said. \u201cHowever, these are not part of the district\u2019s official trail system.\u201d<\/p>\n

The district manages approximately 180 miles of fire roads and trails that are officially designated, signed, mapped and maintained. Bicycles are allowed on all fire roads, which account for 99 miles of the system, and on 27 miles of the 81 miles of trails.<\/p>\n

The only exception is for engine-powered mobility devices used by people with disabilities in alignment with the county\u2019s inclusive access plan.<\/p>\n

Golan explained the differences between class 1, class 2 and class 3 e-bikes.<\/p>\n

A class 1 electric bicycle is equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and is not capable of exclusively propelling the bicycle. It ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches 20 miles per hour.<\/p>\n

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A class 2 electric bicycle may be exclusively propelled by a motor and will provide assistance until the bicycle reaches 20 miles an hour.<\/p>\n

A class 3 electric bicycle is equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and the motor is not capable of exclusively propelling the bicycle. This bike\u2019s motor ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches 28 miles per hour.<\/p>\n

While the county parks department is reconsidering its ban on class 1 e-bikes, park managers intend to reaffirm the prohibition on class 2 and class 3 e-bikes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese vehicles are prohibited in open space,\u201d Golan said, \u201cand there\u2019s no consideration to allow them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Assemblymember Damon Connolly, D-San Rafael, has authored legislation that would prohibit youths under the age of 16 from riding class 2 e-bikes anywhere in Marin. The legislation, Assembly Bill 1778, came in response to a sizable number of e-bike crashes resulting in serious injuries.<\/p>\n

Golan said there are reasons for reconsidering the ban on class 1 e-bikes. He said the prohibition does not align well with state law or with updated policies of neighboring land managers.<\/p>\n

Sonoma County Regional Parks and East Bay Regional Parks both permit class 1 e-bikes where conventional bicycles are allowed. In addition, the Marin Municipal Water District launched a two-year pilot program last July allowing class 1 e-bikes on watershed roads where conventional bikes are allowed.<\/p>\n

Also, Golan said, \u201cE-bike use on district lands is increasing and has become ubiquitous in some areas, making enforcement challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the public comment period, Andrew Levine of Mill Valley, a Marin County Bicycle Coalition member, said, \u201cI was shocked when I saw this on the agenda because I had no idea that what I\u2019d been doing for the past four years was not legal. I\u2019ve spoken many times with many rangers who never informed me I was doing anything I wasn\u2019t supposed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Levine, who said he has been retired for four years and rides most days, had much in common with the majority of speakers, who voiced support for changing the rule.<\/p>\n

Read more Mailbag: Blueprint for a super league, Senate bill spotlights SEC and Big Ten, Pac-12 options in Texas and loads more<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are basically a group of old people who have graduated to electric bikes after earning our elevation on \u2018acoustic bikes,\u2019\u201d said Bob Mittelstaedt, one of the co-founders of E-Bike Access. \u201cWe all wish we were still young and more powerful, but facts are facts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acoustic bike is slang for conventional pedal-only bicycles.<\/p>\n

Sean O\u2019Day of Corte Madera said he is waiting for knee replacement surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to hike and ride up hills with the condition of my knee,\u201d O\u2019Day said.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Day switched from an acoustic bike to a class 1 e-bike five years ago. Since then, he has been riding up Old Railroad Grade, a multiuse fire road and trail on Mount Tamalpais.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until last week that I realized I wasn\u2019t supposed to,\u201d O\u2019Day said.<\/p>\n

Donnie Poe of Fairfax said, \u201cI might look a little older, but what the e-bike allows me to do is keep young. If I sit on the sofa because I\u2019m not allowed to ride my e-bike, I will get old.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vernon Huffman, executive director of the Marin Trail Stewards, said, \u201cConsistency with our neighboring land managers is super important so that when we\u2019re riding MMWD land and we enter open space, we don\u2019t have to switch bikes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nona Dennis, who served 24 years on the board of the Marin Conservation League, said, \u201cYou have heard from only one part of the discussion. I hope you will hear from others before this conversation is over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dennis noted that e-bikes continue to be prohibited on MMWD trails, despite the ongoing pilot program.<\/p>\n

Linda Novy, a member of the Marin Horse Council board, said, \u201cClearly, for years the rules haven\u2019t been being followed. Are we now going to conform the rules to fit the behavior?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClass 1 sounds mild,\u201d Novy added, \u201cbut how does ranger staff, with its limitations, and the sheriff make sure that bikes in the preserve are class 1?\u201d<\/p>\n

Amy Worth of Kentfield said, \u201cI\u2019m deeply opposed to mountain bike and e-bike access to single track trails, for three reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Worth said the bikes damage the environment, pose a risk to hikers and create a fire hazard because of their lithium batteries.<\/p>\n

Two of the commission\u2019s seven members expressed support for the change. None objected.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am now in full support of class 1 e-bikes on the trail system,\u201d said Joe Burns, a commissioner.<\/p>\n

Commissioner Joe Meylan said, \u201cI\u2019m all for this. It\u2019s long overdue. I really don\u2019t see the difference between an acoustic bike and a class 1 e-bike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Chamberlain, director of the county parks department, said it will solicit public comments on the proposal over the summer and present its findings to the commission in September. A public survey is online at shorturl.at\/HVIKY.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not coming into this with a preconceived determination,\u201d Chamberlain said. \u201cWe want to make an informed decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more CCS, NCS baseball, softball playoffs: Championship game scores<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marin County might permit people to ride class 1 electric bikes in county open space preserves where conventional bikes are allowed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMarin considers letting some e-bikes on open space trails - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=858\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Marin considers letting some e-bikes on open space trails - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Marin County might permit people to ride class 1 electric bikes in county open space preserves where conventional bikes are allowed.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=858\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-30T23:10:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=858#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=858\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Marin considers letting some e-bikes on open space trails\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-30T23:10:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=858\"},\"wordCount\":1103,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=858#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/7760f4be166ec0125787172e572005ff.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Local News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=858#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=858\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=858\",\"name\":\"Marin considers letting some e-bikes on open space trails - 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