Camas grapples with e-bike rules, concernsSubscriber Exclusive

Editor's note: This article was update Aug. 4, to include current Washington State Parks rules for e-bikes on non-motorized, natural surface trails. With more people turning to electric bicycles and electric-powered motorcycles for a convenient, environmentally friendly and often more cost-effective mode of transportation, local officials are fielding more questions about the rules and regulations governing these zippy two-wheelers. Last month, Camas City Council members heard from a Camas resident who said she regularly grapples with aggressive e-bike (or possibly e-motorcycle) riders on a private trail near her Prune Hill home. “My worry is (people riding) motorbikes, electric bikes — they look like small motorcycles — on our property,” Carrie Wiencken told city councilors during their June 16 workshop. “They’re very reckless and rude. I’ve approached them and asked them to leave the property.” But the young riders, described by Wiencken as being between 10 and 14 years old, refused to leave and became argumentative, she said. “Twice, they’ve come close to me, recklessly, when I walk the trail,” Wiencken said. “I wanted to know if there are rules already in place … because I don’t want this to keep happening.” A few weeks later, Camas Police Chief Tina Jones was driving when three people on what appeared to be e-bikes made an illegal maneuver right in front of her unmarked vehicle. “They passed me on a solid-yellow line into oncoming traffic,” Jones said. One of the riders, a 22-year-old man, was carrying a 12-year-old on the back of his bike. The other driver was 14 years old, according to the police chief. Though issuing traffic citations isn’t part of her job description, Jones said she couldn’t let such dangerous behavior go unchecked, so she flipped her lights on and issued her first traffic citation since becoming the city’s police chief in 2023. “I gave a warning to the 14-year-old, and the adult with the more egregious behavior got a traffic ticket,” she said. Popularity increasing In 2019, the owner of Camas Bike and Sport told the Camas-Washougal Post-Record that e-bikes were quickly becoming a popular commuting option, and were proving to be a great mode of transportation for older people. Since then, e-bike sales in the U.S. have surged. According to a 2023 National Center for Sustainable Transportation report, e-bike sales grew 145 percent between 2019 and 2020 and, in 2021, “solidly outpaced the sale of electric vehicles … reflecting a growing demand for active travel and the relative affordability of e-bikes when compared to EVs.” The cost of a new e-bike ranges from $1,000 for a basic, entry-level model to more than $6,000 for a higher-end, more durable electric bike, according to outdoor recreation retailer REI. Much like electric-powered cars and trucks, government agencies often have rebate programs available to help offset the cost of a new e-bike. In April, when Washington launched its e-bike rebate program worth between $300 and $1,200, the state received more than 33,000 applications for about 8,500 available rebates. E-motorcycle sales also increased during the pandemic. The electric two-wheeler market witnessed a decade of rapid expansion, culminating in 2021 when sales surpassed 10 million, a 77 percent increase from the 2019 prepandemic levels. Rules of the road With the increased popularity of the electric bicycles and motorcycles, Jones said safety has become “a topic of concern” in Camas. To help explain the rules of the road when it comes to bicycles, e-bikes and motorcycles, the Camas Police Department recently posted a public service announcement to its social media channels. “With so many different options now on the market, it’s especially important to understand the key differences between bicycles and motorcycles,” Jones said in the post, adding that state law clearly defines the differences between a bicycle, an electric-assisted bicycle and an electric- or gas-powered motorcycle. Bicycles are human-powered, while e-bikes have an electric assist that can help power the bike while a person is pedaling or on its own. “In short, bicycles have pedals,” Jones said. A motorcycle, she added, “is only powered by a motor, regardless of whether the motor is battery powered or powered by fuel.” “A motorcycle does not have pedals,” she explained in the public service announcement. “Foot pegs are not pedals.” From a law enforcement perspective, these distinctions matter. “The electric motorcycle is not legal to ride on any street or sidewalk in Washington state, as it lacks the required safety features,” Jones said, adding that all motorcycle riders in Washington must have a state permit or endorsement. According to the Municipal Research and Services Center, a nonprofit that offers policy and legal guidance to local governments in Washington, some Washington cities and towns have added their own rules governing e-bikes. Camas, for instance, requires all bicycle and e-bike riders to wear a helmet while traveling on or through public areas within city limits. Under Washington law, e-bikes fall into one of three categories: Class 1 e-bikes have an electric motor that provides extra assistance only when the rider is pedaling and top out at 20 mph; Class 2 e-bikes have an electric motor that can power the bike even when a rider is not pedaling, but also have a maximum speed of 20 mph; and Class 3 e-bikes have a motor that only kicks in when the rider is pedaling but can reach speeds of up to 28 mph. In Washington, all e-bikes can operate in formal bike lanes and Class 1 and 2 e-bikes can typically operate anywhere a human-powered bicycle can go, including roads, sidewalks and shared-use trails. Class 3 e-bikes are prohibited from using sidewalks unless there are no safe alternatives. The state also prohibits Class 3 e-bikes from operating on shared-use trails. Other e-bike guidelines address safety concerns, particularly when it comes to children. A July 2024 American College of Surgeons report notes that e-bikes are increasingly causing harm to children and adolescents, with “surgeons around the world (having) witnessed a serious pattern of e-bike related injury and death.” The U.S. Consumer Protection Agency recommends that children younger than 12 not ride e-bikes that can go faster than 10 mph. E-bikes in the wild When it comes to riding e-bikes on non-motorized trails with natural surfaces, rules differ state to state. In Oregon, for instance, new rules that went into effect July 1 allow e-bikes on any Oregon state park trail open to regular bicycles. Likewise, in Washington state, class 1 and class 3 pedal-assist e-bikes are, according to Washington State Parks, able to operate on single-track, non-motorized, natural surface trails that are also open to non-electric bicycles. And while Washington state prohibits all e-bikes on non-motorized, natural surface trails open to hiking only, the state does allow pedal-assist e-bikes on non-motorized, long-distance trails within the state park system, including the 57-mile Willapa Hills State Park Trail in Lewis and Pacific counties that takes riders from Chehalis to South Bend. Washington officials have considered offering more flexibility for e-bike riders looking to enjoy public lands on two wheels. In 2022, the state’s departments of Natural Resources and of Fish and Wildlife compiled input from nearly 8,000 residents and delivered a report to state legislators detailing recommendations for managing e-bike use on their lands. In the end, the agencies said the public feedback revealed a few common concerns about e-bikes, including worries about speed, safety, user conflicts, soil erosion and impacts to natural trails, and they recommended that state legislators continue to allow e-bikes on motorized roads and trails within state lands, while prohibiting their use on all natural surface trails and nonmotorized roads. “Overall engagement and thoughtful discussions throughout the tribal and public processes demonstrated that e-bikes are a topic of great interest to many Washingtonians,” the agencies noted in the report. Kelly Moyer: 360-735-4674; kelly.moyer@columbian.com

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