E-bikes on sidewalks

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Laura Asermily

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Oct 15, 2024, 1:30:29 PM10/15/24
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Walk/Bike Council of AC wants to encourage e-bike use while keeping all road and sidewalk users safe. A few bad actors speeding on their e-bikes on sidewalks have raised concerns about if they should be allowed on sidewalks. They are currently allowed, but must follow the same rules as regular bikes. Share Local Motion's State Biking Laws here and VTrans E-Bike Law Handout here.

Timothy Mathewson

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Oct 15, 2024, 4:05:07 PM10/15/24
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Good day
Thank you for posting the link to laws. 
As I read it E-bikes are NOT allowed on sidewalks unless the local municipality allows for it. 
Am I then to gather that Middlebury has chosen to override the state law for the town ? 

Thank you 

Tim 

On Tue, Oct 15, 2024 at 1:30 PM 'Laura Asermily' via Midd Bike-Ped discussion forum <middb...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Walk/Bike Council of AC wants to encourage e-bike use while keeping all road and sidewalk users safe. A few bad actors speeding on their e-bikes on sidewalks have raised concerns about if they should be allowed on sidewalks. They are currently allowed, but must follow the same rules as regular bikes. Share Local Motion's State Biking Laws here and VTrans E-Bike Law Handout here.

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Join us for an event, meeting, or just follow along at:
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Laura Asermily

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Oct 15, 2024, 4:25:51 PM10/15/24
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Tim, you are right! E-bikes are not permitted on sidewalks.

richard nowak

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Oct 15, 2024, 4:41:02 PM10/15/24
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As I have always said, any bicycle on a well used by pedestrians sidewalk is potentially fatal,  mostly to the ped.  Middlebury has a high population of self-described immortal young men who will, and do, speed down any sidewalk on their bike of any sort.  electric powered not really an issue.  
The town of Middlebury, in a weenie effort at sidestepping the issue has set hours for sidewalk riding
 but really, has anyone seen these posted rules anywhere that the aforesaid immortal can see them??
Richard Henry Nowak

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/middbikeped/1489482290.2250861.1729023945702%40mail.yahoo.com.


--
Rick Nowak,  Middlebury, VT

Andrew Gardner

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Oct 15, 2024, 5:20:28 PM10/15/24
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Erik Remsen

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Oct 15, 2024, 8:16:41 PM10/15/24
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Cyclists on sidewalks, whether on e-bikes or not, are a symptom, not the problem. The problem is that we (the town, the state, the country) have not created roads that feel safe to large numbers of cyclists. No matter how many sharrows we create, or how many white lines and green pathways we paint in the road, it’s all just paint. And paint is not protection. 

Actual infrastructure that protects cyclists requires monetary investment. And we (the town, the state, the country), despite the myriad benefits that protected cycling infrastructure would bring - less cars, less traffic, less pollution, less road maintenance, better mental and physical health, increased social cohesion, etc. - don’t seem interested in making that investment at the moment.

So, I’m not upset if I meet a cyclist on the sidewalk. I’m happy that they chose the bike over the car. And, I can understand that clipping a piece of lightweight plastic on their head and seeing a white line painted on the road may not be enough to make them want to share the road with vehicles weighing 1-2 or 10-20 tons. 

Whether it’s e-bikes, bikes, scooters, or skateboarders - forcing them off sidewalks and onto roads will not lead to better outcomes. The higher the barrier to any non-driving activity, the more people will choose the car.

Erik Remsen

Andrew Gardner

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Oct 15, 2024, 8:41:19 PM10/15/24
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Hear hear. 

Middlebury has objectively failed to address cycling in a meaningful way particularly if you look at the data:






Sanctum1972

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Oct 15, 2024, 9:33:37 PM10/15/24
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I'm not a full time cyclist but own an old 2001 Trek 4300 mountain bike ( it needs repair with parts to be replaced eventually ) and a VSETT 8 e-scooter. I've been reading the discussions and confirm that there are or have been people who ride on sidewalks but the majority of what I've seen are younger kids ( ie. elementary school or middle school ). They seem to be wearing helmets when using bicycles or even an e-scooter ( which is rare ). I don't mind them doing that if it keeps them safe on the sidewalks until they're old enough to handle the streets. 

Although it's the college kids that are riding e-scooters on sidewalks without helmets and gloves, one in which I always wear when riding the VSETT. And since my scooter has 8.5 size tires, it's designed to go either on sidewalks, paved paths or roads but not the rentals made by BIRD and such which has smaller tires. The only time I use my scooter is on warm/dry seasons when I can or feel like going for a ride and capable of going up to about 25-27 mph. 

I do agree that Middlebury could have done more with bike paths. However the best case I've seen was near Middlebury Union Middle School which had paved paths stretching out towards Route 7/Creek Road/Middlebury Village. I think there was one by Mary Hogan School going out to the back towards Buttolph street. What I would have liked to see is the town build out a bike path going out to Exchange street all the way out to Bridge School for cyclists to access any of the businesses, CSAC/Porter Medical, Post Office, Laundry and the like on the way safely without worry about looking over the shoulder for incoming traffic. 

Interestingly enough, looking back to historical photos, Main and Merchants street were originally filled with pedestrians, carriages, and cyclists long before cars were built. And even that old bridge was not particularly designed for such heavy traffic like trucks. Had Middlebury went with a brick layered street design for Merchants and Main all the way to Two Brothers, Post Office and up to Town Hall Theater to keep vehicles off only to bring back foot and cycle traffic, that would've been interesting, redirecting cars/trucks out around from Exchange,  Route 7 towards on, or Cross Street bridge to the College and outwards. Only exception would be emergency personnel/construction/post office trucks downtown. 

But I digress. I think the town has a lot of work to do anyway to improve the situation for the cyclists and pedestrians. 

-Adam Glazer

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/middbikeped/23B4667E-CC55-47B6-9C26-12E6B6AF8EB1%40gmail.com.

Mary Forest Caron

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Oct 15, 2024, 9:41:22 PM10/15/24
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Bravo, well said Erik! 

In peace, 

Mary Caron




On Tue, Oct 15, 2024 at 8:16 PM Erik Remsen <erik....@gmail.com> wrote:
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/middbikeped/23B4667E-CC55-47B6-9C26-12E6B6AF8EB1%40gmail.com.

Laura Asermily

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Oct 15, 2024, 10:34:22 PM10/15/24
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Let's keep this great discussion going and shared on FPF by those here. We need more voices there and speaking up in public meetings. BTW, Exchange St multiuse path has been planned and engineered and was tied up in a right of way issue (a home in probate court near RK Miles) that have cleared so I have been told by ACRPC's Adam Lougee, the project manager for this, that it is going out to bid for construction now and we should start to see things happening this spring. 

Richard Hopkins

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Oct 16, 2024, 11:10:34 AM10/16/24
to 'Laura Asermily' via Midd Bike-Ped discussion forum
We need physical infrastructure, and we need to stop blaming cyclists for looking out for their own safety.

And e-bikes don’t belong on sidewalks, legally or as a practical matter.  

Richard Hopkins


Gerry

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Oct 16, 2024, 1:38:19 PM10/16/24
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Hi All, As a bike tour leader of 40 years I see another big problem with fat tire e-Bikes that look more like motorbikes. They have pedals but you never see anyone peddling them. With using the throttle they can go up to 35 miles an hour. They don’t wear helmets, they break all the laws while riding and you see them on sidewalks. The reason you see more of these they only cost around $1,000 so more folks are buying them. I’m sure you are going to see the state putting more regulations on all e-Bikes. I’t a shame because for those cyclists doing the right thing and obeying the law we are going to pay the price. I have attached two photos of the bikes I’m talking about. We need to educate both cyclists and motorists to make it safer for everyone.
#1 Fat Tire eBike.docx
#2 Fat Tire eBike.docx

Richard Hopkins

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Oct 16, 2024, 3:23:45 PM10/16/24
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At what point do the pictured fat tire e bikes require motor vehicle registration and a licensed operator?

R


Richard Hopkins

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 16, 2024, at 1:38 PM, 'Gerry' via Midd Bike-Ped discussion forum <middb...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Hi All, As a bike tour leader of 40 years I see another big problem with fat tire e-Bikes that look more like motorbikes. They have pedals but you never see anyone peddling them. With using the throttle they can go up to 35 miles an hour. They don’t wear helmets, they break all the laws while riding and you see them on sidewalks. The reason you see more of these they only cost around $1,000 so more folks are buying them. I’m sure you are going to see the state putting more regulations on all e-Bikes. I’t a shame because for those cyclists doing the right thing and obeying the law we are going to pay the price. I have attached two photos of the bikes I’m talking about. We need to educate both cyclists and motorists to make it safer for everyone.

--
The "Walk-Bike Council of Addison County" is our county-wide bike-ped organization.
Join us for an event, meeting, or just follow along at:
https://www.walkbikeaddison.org/
 
 
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<#1 Fat Tire eBike.docx>

--
The "Walk-Bike Council of Addison County" is our county-wide bike-ped organization.
Join us for an event, meeting, or just follow along at:
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<#2 Fat Tire eBike.docx>




--
The "Walk-Bike Council of Addison County" is our county-wide bike-ped organization.
Join us for an event, meeting, or just follow along at:
https://www.walkbikeaddison.org/
 
 
Visit https://groups.google.com/d/forum/middbikeped for mailing list archives.
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Anja Gmail

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Oct 16, 2024, 4:12:22 PM10/16/24
to 'Laura Asermily' via Midd Bike-Ped Coalition

Hello All,

We sell about 85% of all our trikes and tandems with e-assist. Most of them are Class 1, means no throttle and provide pedal assist up to 20 mph. The trikes are too wide to ride on the sidewalk so people ride on the road but are scared often. Flags help, flashing lights, helmets...

Our customers ride mostly rails and trails out of fear to be injured on the road. And most of them already have some kind of limitation, illness or disability. Even I as able bodied person don't like to ride through Middlebury town or on 125 coming from Cornwall. No shoulder, just too dangerous.

Timothy Clark

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Oct 18, 2024, 7:01:56 AM10/18/24
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Erik Remsen, that was very well put. A great message for many to hear.
I pasted it below for those who missed it- 

As far as sidewalks go-  The most important message to get out to the public is that pedestrians have the right of way on sidewalks.  Bikes need to give way when meeting a walker.   It sounds like some of the sidewalk hot doggers on bikes and scooters may come from the college (we don't seem to have this problem in Vergennes). It would make sense to contact the biking community on the Middlebury College campus, possibly through the on campus bike shop, and let them know what is expected in town. Maybe also worth sharing a message about this with the Elementary, Middle and High Schools.  A message of this type could come from the town government or The Walk/Bike Council.   This type of message should also go to the public.   Such as-  When riding on sidewalks, pedestrians have the right of way.  Slow down, give way to walkers, get off the sidewalk if need be or stop and wait for a walker to pass if appropriate.  Be a good ambassador for bicycling  by being courteous to walkers.

Due to our lack of safe biking infrastructure, especially for kids and inexperienced riders the sidewalks are the only safe way to get around by bike.  I made a video guide with kids in Vergennes- How to safely ride to school by way of sidewalks.  Check it out here-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ahl7_nLqDs

Regarding  e-bikes on a bike path.  I guess the law is clear but personally do not have a problem if someone is coasting along (reasonably slow) to make a safe connection to avoid dangerous roads or to get to a destination where there is a bike rack.  


Below is from Erik Remsen

Cyclists on sidewalks, whether on e-bikes or not, are a symptom, not the problem. The problem is that we (the town, the state, the country) have not created roads that feel safe to large numbers of cyclists. No matter how many sharrows we create, or how many white lines and green pathways we paint in the road, it’s all just paint. And paint is not protection. 

Actual infrastructure that protects cyclists requires monetary investment. And we (the town, the state, the country), despite the myriad benefits that protected cycling infrastructure would bring - less cars, less traffic, less pollution, less road maintenance, better mental and physical health, increased social cohesion, etc. - don’t seem interested in making that investment at the moment.

So, I’m not upset if I meet a cyclist on the sidewalk. I’m happy that they chose the bike over the car. And, I can understand that clipping a piece of lightweight plastic on their head and seeing a white line painted on the road may not be enough to make them want to share the road with vehicles weighing 1-2 or 10-20 tons. 

Whether it’s e-bikes, bikes, scooters, or skateboarders - forcing them off sidewalks and onto roads will not lead to better outcomes. The higher the barrier to any non-driving activity, the more people will choose the car.

Erik Remsen
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/middbikeped/4ad85f61-5cff-4d6c-acd7-8e96675bcdb8%40gmail.com.


--
Timothy Clark
2111 Green Street
Waltham, Vermont 05491
www.TimothyClark.com

Timothy Mathewson

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Oct 18, 2024, 7:28:06 AM10/18/24
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Great video! 

Jennifer Murray

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Oct 18, 2024, 12:13:23 PM10/18/24
to middb...@googlegroups.com, Emmalee Cherington, Town Manager

Erik- Can you give us any local examples of “protected cycling”?

When I first read this message, it came across as a general statement that State and local governments don’t “seem interested” in making investments in bike-ped infrastructure.  That felt unfairly critical and bummed me out. 

But re-reading it today, I think you’re saying that projects are designed, we should be making more investments in acquiring easements for off-road paths and constructing physically protected bike lanes?  That designers are less likely to do that than select other options (e.g. sharrows, wider shoulders)?  Presumably this goes back to the frustration the Walk-Bike Council felt a few years ago when they prepared review comments for VTrans (solicited by ACRPC?) on the Court Street repaving plans, and VTrans incorporated very few of them?

Would be great to get some clarification on that.

 

Some information in celebration of a few of Middlebury’s recent efforts on the bike-ped front:

  • Middlebury just obtained a $1M+ grant for bike ped improvements to Roger’s Road and a portion of Valley View adjacent to the planned Stonecrop Meadows Subdivision.  This recent grant we are so proud of was a project identified in our 2023 Bike-Ped Plan.  This grant that directly responded to a neighborhood in need of safety improvements that participated in the Bike-Ped Plan process and also expressed their concerns to the Town directly. 
  • Early this year, Middlebury adopted the 2023 Bike Ped Connectivity Plan- we worked really hard on this plan in partnership with members of the Walk Bike Council because we are interested in making investments in bike ped infrastructure.  We obtained a ton of public input to create a ready list of bike-ped improvements that we are advancing one by one through the funding and implementation process.
  • This year’s capital budget will again have a dedicated item for engineering and construction of bike ped projects (for example- Phase 2 of the Exchange Street bike path and intersection improvements at the high school entrance). 
  • The Stonecrop Meadows Subdivision is intentionally designed to be walkable and bikeable using a new (2022) section of our zoning ordinance governing design of new neighborhoods.  It will link to the sidewalk on Seminary St Ext and those in the Buttolph neighborhood.  The infrastructure build will utilize several million dollars of State grant funding obtained in partnership with the Town.  Features include a north-south off-road bike path that was designed as the central spine of the development.  Several buildings will have frontage on paths rather than roads, and most of the homes will be rear entry from back alleys rather than served by direct curb cuts.  We got the roads to be as narrow as possible, with sidewalks and porches and tree lined streets.  

 

These are just a few recent things that deserve to be celebrated as we continue to always try to do more.  

I think a year-end wrap up at a Walk-Bike Coalition meeting to hear what’s happening in the various towns would be a lot of fun, maybe at holiday time?

Thanks!

 

Jen Murray, AICP

Middlebury Director of Planning & Zoning

 

From: middb...@googlegroups.com <middb...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Timothy Clark
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2024 7:02 AM
To: middb...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [middbikeped] E-bikes on sidewalks

 

Erik Remsen, that was very well put. A great message for many to hear.

I pasted it below for those who missed it- 

 

As far as sidewalks go-  The most important message to get out to the public is that pedestrians have the right of way on sidewalks.  Bikes need to give way when meeting a walker.   It sounds like some of the sidewalk hot doggers on bikes and scooters may come from the college (we don't seem to have this problem in Vergennes). It would make sense to contact the biking community on the Middlebury College campus, possibly through the on campus bike shop, and let them know what is expected in town. Maybe also worth sharing a message about this with the Elementary, Middle and High Schools.  A message of this type could come from the town government or The Walk/Bike Council.   This type of message should also go to the public.   Such as-  When riding on sidewalks, pedestrians have the right of way.  Slow down, give way to walkers, get off the sidewalk if need be or stop and wait for a walker to pass if appropriate.  Be a good ambassador for bicycling  by being courteous to walkers.

 

Due to our lack of safe biking infrastructure, especially for kids and inexperienced riders the sidewalks are the only safe way to get around by bike.  I made a video guide with kids in Vergennes- How to safely ride to school by way of sidewalks.  Check it out here-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ahl7_nLqDs

 

Regarding  e-bikes on a bike path.  I guess the law is clear but personally do not have a problem if someone is coasting along (reasonably slow) to make a safe connection to avoid dangerous roads or to get to a destination where there is a bike rack.  

 

 

Below is from Erik Remsen

 

Cyclists on sidewalks, whether on e-bikes or not, are a symptom, not the problem. The problem is that we (the town, the state, the country) have not created roads that feel safe to large numbers of cyclists. No matter how many sharrows we create, or how many white lines and green pathways we paint in the road, it’s all just paint. And paint is not protection. 

 

Actual infrastructure that protects cyclists requires monetary investment. And we (the town, the state, the country), despite the myriad benefits that protected cycling infrastructure would bring - less cars, less traffic, less pollution, less road maintenance, better mental and physical health, increased social cohesion, etc. - don’t seem interested in making that investment at the moment.

 

So, I’m not upset if I meet a cyclist on the sidewalk. I’m happy that they chose the bike over the car. And, I can understand that clipping a piece of lightweight plastic on their head and seeing a white line painted on the road may not be enough to make them want to share the road with vehicles weighing 1-2 or 10-20 tons. 

 

Whether it’s e-bikes, bikes, scooters, or skateboarders - forcing them off sidewalks and onto roads will not lead to better outcomes. The higher the barrier to any non-driving activity, the more people will choose the car.

 

Erik Remsen

 

 

From: 'Laura Asermily' via Midd Bike-Ped discussion forum middb...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2024 10:34 PM
To: middb...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [middbikeped] E-bikes on sidewalks

 

Let's keep this great discussion going and shared on FPF by those here. We need more voices there and speaking up in public meetings. BTW, Exchange St multiuse path has been planned and engineered and was tied up in a right of way issue (a home in probate court near RK Miles) that have cleared so I have been told by ACRPC's Adam Lougee, the project manager for this, that it is going out to bid for construction now and we should start to see things happening this spring. 

 



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