Road Rules: The rules for e-bike users traveling on city and county trails

Question: Can e-bike riders use city and county trails?

Answer: Sometimes when I get a question I like to imagine the sentence before the question. For example, the lead-in to this one could be, “I have a new e-bike, and now I’m trying to figure out where I can ride it.” Or it could be, “My neighbor got a new e-bike and is constantly riding it on the trails in our neighborhood.”

Either way, the answer is the same. What changes is how you’ll feel about the answer.

Before we can answer the question though, we need to understand how Washington categorizes electric bikes. There are three classes of e-bikes. Class one and class two both have a top assisted speed of 20 mph. Any speed above 20 mph is entirely on human power. What separates class one and class two bikes is that on a class one bike you have to pedal to get any assistance from the motor, while on a class two bike the motor can provide power even if you’re not pedaling. A class three bike has a top assisted speed of 28 mph. 

Where you can ride depends on the class of e-bike you’re riding. On the road, all classes of e-bikes have access to the same extent as bicycles. On a shared-use trail, the rules are different. Class one and two bikes may be ridden on a shared-use trail unless prohibited. With class three e-bikes it’s the reverse; they are prohibited from riding on shared-use trails unless the jurisdiction in charge of the trail makes an exception. For class one and two riders, if there’s no sign on the shared-use path prohibiting your bike, you’re good to go. For class three riders, if there’s no sign authorizing your bike, you’re out of luck.

The law also states that when a trail runs through multiple jurisdictions the same rules apply for the whole trail. That’s a handy law that saves an e-bike rider from encountering a sudden change of use on a trail and getting stranded halfway through a ride.

There’s one trail-related prohibition that applies to all e-bikes. When a trail is designated as nonmotorized and has “a natural surface tread that is made by clearing and grading the native soil” e-bikes are not allowed unless the jurisdiction responsible for the trail makes an exception.

While not part of the original question, I’ll also note that class three e-bikes are not allowed on sidewalks, while class one and two e-bikes are allowed (unless in an area where all bikes aren’t allowed, like some downtown business districts.)

Since we’re talking about e-bikes, can I just tell you how demoralizing it is when you train all spring for a big ride, and then while grinding it out you see someone in a polka-dot helmet sitting upright on a cruiser bike effortlessly pedaling past you with a friendly wave? When electric bikes were new and rare I experienced that while riding on a shared use path, and it took me a bit to figure out that I got passed by an electric bike, not someone with super-human quads and exceptional control of their heart rate.

That was a gracious encounter, but it brings up a point. I’ve often said of car drivers that when you’re the biggest and the fastest, you bear the greatest responsibility for safety. When you ride your e-bike on the road you’re the vulnerable one, but when you’re on a trail you’re the biggest and fastest, so take on that mantle of responsibility and watch out for the slower and smaller folks.

Doug Dahl is a manager with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, Region 11 and publishes TheWiseDrive.com.