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A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 63F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph..
Some clouds. Low near 40F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Serving Sun Valley, Ketchum, Hailey, Bellevue and Carey
The Hailey City Council updated its e-bike rules on Monday.
The Hailey City Council updated its e-bike rules on Monday.
The Hailey City Council on Monday unanimously approved an ordinance setting a 20-mph speed limit for e-bikes on city pathways and the Blaine County Recreation District bike path, along with a set of rules governing the use of other battery-powered vehicles—bringing the city’s motorized-vehicle standards into alignment with Ketchum’s and Sun Valley’s.
Councilmembers passed the ordinance unanimously without much discussion, having already established its parameters during a lengthy debate on July 11.
The new set of rules permits e-bikes on the bike path, but only if they “require human power for primary propulsion”—that is, are pedal-assisted—and their motors can handle no more than 750 watts.
All electric scooters, skateboards and hoverboards are allowed on the bike path as long as they top out at “speeds equal to or less than 20 miles per hour” and have motors operating on “no more than 750 watts,” according to the ordinance.
Motorcycles, mopeds, dirt bikes and other “alternative electric motored vehicles” with watt ratings over 750 watts are prohibited.
Prior to Monday’s vote, the portion of the trail that passes through Hailey, from Northridge to south Woodside, was technically nonmotorized. E-bikes, though, have been ubiquitous on the trail as their popularity has surged over the last five years.
Blaine County Recreation District Executive Director Mark Davidson said that reckless e-bike use has been “an issue” long before the pandemic.
“This issue predates my time,” he told the council. “We are very much in favor of there being a unified policy across the city, Sun Valley, Ketchum, Bellevue and the county as more bikes come online and more people are using the trails.”
"I think adults need to be adults, and be an example as to how we can bike responsibly on the path.”
Davdison said the BCRD has no administrative authority over enforcement but is planning to add new signage on the path that more clearly shows the speed limit and begin a new public education campaign.
“We’ve had a flood of emails and phone calls asking us what’s going to happen, how are we going to fix this, who’s going to enforce it. The best we can do is educate,” he said. “We are going to be relying a lot on people and their good nature. I think adults need to be adults, and be an example as to how we can bike responsibly on the path.”
The council considered various enforcement models in July—allowing Class 1 and 2 bikes, whose electrically assisted speeds top out at 20 mph, but banning Class 3 bikes, whose assisted speed can reach or exceed 28 mph, for example.
Ultimately, they decided that policing bike classes would be too hard to enforce and opted for a broader ordinance setting a speed limit.
“A lot of people have Class 3 bikes right now. If you tell them you can’t ride on the bike path, then you have people throwing away their [multi-thousand-dollar] bikes,” Councilman Sam Linnet said. “How do you figure out what a Class 3 and Class 2 looks like?
“We don’t regulate what cars can be on the road based on how big their engines are. From a policy standpoint, why should we be regulating bikes the same way?”
Councilwoman Heidi Husbands said her main priority would be getting more speed-limit signs up.
“I think a lot of people want to know actually what the speed [limit] is. We need to increase that visibility,” she said.
Councilwoman Kaz Thea said e-bike use “is a good thing” because it reduces cars on the road, but “had to be stopped at some point.” She suggested a speed limit of 15 mph.
“It is a bike path with babies and strollers and scooters and dogs, and not safe right now,” she said. “It is downright frightening most days with cyclists, e-bikes and the crowd that loves to fly on that trail.”
Thea added that she went to bike shops years ago and had encouraged employees to talk to customers about safe e-bike usage on the bike path.
“Of course, people want to buy whatever they want to buy, but [e-bike regulations] were well discussed and well supported [years ago],” she said.
Hailey Police Chief Steve England noted that his department has received “a lot of complaints about electric bikes” lately, but also complaints about regular road bikes going over 20 mph on the bike path.
“It comes down to everybody policing themselves, because enforcement is nearly impossible on the bike path,” he said.
Hailey resident Joel Cater commented that his main concern was not how fast someone is going, “but how they come up behind someone and overtake them.”
“Some people are hard of hearing or wearing headphones. In a car, if someone rear ends you, that person is at fault,” he said. “Maybe there should be more education on overtaking people.” 
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First and foremost, we are glad to see the council approved ebike use on the Wood River Trail in Hailey. The majority of ebike riders we see on the trail are age 50 - 70, and ride responsibly. They are riding ebikes to extend their physical capabilities as they age. (One of the few exceptions to moderate ebike use is "skateboard kid".)
The definition of "require human power for primary propulsion" is a little odd, as this definition does not fit with federal rules or state laws - so it is hard to know what it would mean.
The 20 mph speed limit seems a little fast for a shared-use trail, but we realize that high speed will primarily benefit road bike riders, as most ebikes cannot sustain a 20 mph speed for any distance unless riding down hill with a tail wind.
"The new set of rules permits e-bikes on the bike path, but only if they “require human power for primary propulsion”—that is, are pedal-assisted—and their motors can handle no more than 750 watts."
Does ths mean no 'throttle only" propusion on display this summer by the two or three young riders who ride from the south valley transporting skateboards?
We all need to share the trail. The BCRD should put a lot more signage on the trail. Paint speed limits and keep to the right on the asphalt, put up more signs and be bilingual. We have new residents and increased visitors and education is key to safety and enjoyment.
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