The Abridged version:
- Sacramento County Regional Parks rangers, along with volunteer groups, work to enforce safety rules on the American River Parkway bike trail and other local multiuse trails.
- Staff and volunteers have cited an increase in safety concerns related to the growing popularity of e-bikes and e-motos.
- In mid-May, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors introduced ordinance changes meant to address the impact of electric bikes on local trails.
This story was reported by a member of the Abridged by PBS KVIE Community Reporters program. The Community Reporters program empowers local residents to report stories with guidance and support from the Abridged editorial staff.
Bike Month is nearly over and Memorial Day has come and gone, marking the unofficial start of summer. As days lengthen and temperatures increase, so do opportunities for Sacramentans to enjoy the area’s extensive network of multiuse trails.
But the landscape is changing on the region’s beloved American River Parkway. Over the past few years, Sacramento-area trails, including sections of the 32-mile parkway, have been host to a new trend: the use of modified e-bikes and e-motos. The powerful two-wheelers are hitting the pavement, trails and protected natural areas.
What’s allowed for e-bikes on the American River Parkway?
E-bikes come in three categories: class 1, class 2 and class 3. Typically, class 1 and class 2 e-bikes stop assisting the rider when the speed reaches 20 mph. In contrast, class 3 e-bikes stop assisting the rider at 28 mph. E-motos are two-wheeled electric mobility devices that act more like traditional motorcycles, have more powerful motors than e-bikes and can reach speeds well over 30 mph. E-bikes can also be illegally modified to assist riders at speeds that exceed their factory settings.
Class 1 and class 2 e-bikes are permitted on the American River Parkway as long as riders adhere to the 15 mph speed limit, but class 3 e-bikes and e-motos are prohibited. Exceeding speed limits on trails, whether on e-bikes, e-motos or nonmotorized bicycles, is illegal and causes safety hazards for trail users.
Sacramento County Regional Parks rangers enforce the speed limit on the American River Parkway by pacing bike riders with their marked SUVs and trucks and monitoring their own speedometers.
When rangers observe speeders, they typically issue a ticket or educate the rider on the rules. High-speed e-motos pose a challenge to rangers when e-moto riders speed off to avoid enforcement, as it is sometimes unsafe for rangers to pursue them in a truck or SUV.
Recently, rangers have started using utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) to patrol areas of the parkway not easily accessible by truck or SUV.
Unauthorized courses and vandalism on the trail
Protected areas of the American River Parkway have been disturbed and vandalized to create jumps and unauthorized bicycle courses. The courses often include blind turns which, combined with the high speed of e-bikes and e-motos, can result in collisions with cyclists, equestrian riders and pedestrians that can cause severe injury. Parks maintenance staff spend extra time and resources restoring areas where the landscape has been disturbed and excavated to create jumps and courses, they told Abridged.
George Tzikas, a Sacramento County Regional Parks ranger, has seen the change brought by modified e-bikes and e-motos firsthand, specifically near the raft takeout area at River Bend Park.
“There’s a little walking trail that leads off into the bush, and you’ll see the remnants [of the bike jumps],” Tzikas said. “Our maintenance crews are out there all the time fixing what they make.”
County ordinance changes
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on May 12 adopted a set of ordinance changes, originally recommended by Sacramento County Regional Parks, intended to preserve the integrity of the American River Parkway by addressing the impacts of high-speed modified e-bikes and e-motos, including vandalism and unauthorized excavation activities. The ordinance changes go into effect on June 12.
The update increases the penalty from an infraction to a potential misdemeanor. Misdemeanors can result in fines, probation and possibly jail time.
“It kind of gives the rangers more teeth that we can use to enforce and keep the natural parkway as is,” Tzikas said.
Another update to the ordinance allows the county to seek restitution for trail restoration, Tzikas added.
Rangers tend to see an uptick in e-bike and e-moto issues outside of school hours. Tzikas urged parents to educate themselves and their children on the nuances of e-bikes and e-motos.
“Do your research as a parent,” Tzikas said. “If your kid comes to you wanting to buy an electric motorcycle or an electric bike, really look at what they’re trying to get you to buy, make sure it’s legal for them as a rider and for where they want to ride it.”
The California Highway Patrol offers an e-bike safety course on its website.
“I highly recommend doing that,” Tzikas said.
Volunteer groups coordinate efforts
Along with park rangers, the American River Bike Patrol and American River Parkway Volunteer Equestrian Trail Patrol work together to promote safety along the American River Parkway. These groups have serious concerns about modified e-bikes and e-motos on Sacramento-area trails. Patrol volunteers routinely see young riders not wearing helmets and not giving the right of way to pedestrians and equestrians.
Vic Massenkoff, a spokesperson for the bike patrol, acknowledged that unsafe e-bike and e-moto use is a complex issue that will take the entire community to address.
“It’s going to take almost a societal, cultural change,” Massenkoff said. “There’s no one effort that, on its own, is going to solve the problem.”
Massenkoff agreed with Tzikas that a first step in addressing the issue is educating parents on the dangers of allowing their children to operate modified e-bikes and e-motos unsupervised.
“Most parents would never consider leaving their child unsupervised with a loaded firearm,” Massenkoff said. “Well, e-motos and modified e-bikes can become a deadly weapon, and we’ve already seen instances where people have been killed.”
Not abiding by trail etiquette especially endangers horses and riders along the parkway. Jeanlaurie Ainsworth, vice president of the equestrian trail patrol, asks trail users to practice the “three S’s” when approaching a horse on the trail: “stop, speak and smile,” so as not to spook the horse. Ainsworth cautions that e-bikes are “heavy and they take a while to stop,” and the e-bike rider racing down a hill may not notice an equestrian rider or pedestrian until it’s too late.
The American River Parkway is not the only area where bike patrol members have seen problems. Sherry Martinez, the leader of Patrol Team 1, often patrols the Sacramento Northern Bikeway that connects Del Paso Heights and Rio Linda to Downtown Sacramento. Martinez has seen children riding unsafely. In one instance, Martinez and her patrol partner almost collided with two kids sharing one bike.
“These kids just cut the corner and they were doubled up, two on a bike, no helmet, obviously going over 15 mph,” Martinez said.
In addition to educating parents and children on bike safety and trail etiquette, Martinez urges all riders to “be mindful that you’re not the only one enjoying the bike trail; there’s others.
“It really doesn’t matter. Everyone deserves to be out here and enjoy themselves safely. It’s not a highway.”
The American River Bike Patrol is accepting new volunteers interested in protecting the parkway and its trail users. Those interested in volunteering can visit the bike patrol’s website for more information.
Andrew Spittler is a member of the Abridged Community Reporters program. Born and raised in the Sacramento region, Andrew enjoys riding his bike on local trails and hiking in the Sierra.