Next Steps
Monitor E-bike Pilot Program to ensure success.
Encourage Marin County Parks and Open Space to allow pedal-assist e-bikes, because:
E-bikes allow Marin’s increasingly older population and those with disabilities to enjoy outdoor recreation, which helps with our physical and mental health.
The other interconnecting agencies on Mt. Tam — Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mt. Tam State Park and MMWD — allow class 1 e-bikes the same access as other bicycles. Uniformity of regulations is important.
Class 1 e-bikes’ environmental impact is no greater than other bicycles.
Officially allowing e-bikes won’t result in a significant increase in crowds because most e-MTBers are unaware that an unenforced ban on e-bikes exists on the watershed.
The “user conflict” issue is overblown. The MMWD survey showed that only 1% of people feel unsafe. They attributed the cause to many things such as coyotes, horses, dogs off leash and some rude cyclists. That’s no reason to exclude e-bikes as a class.