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The Longmont Transportation Advisory Board heard Monday night that city staff are developing an education and safety campaign to clarify local rules around electric bikes and electric motorized vehicles, commonly known as e-bikes and e-motos. Longmont Vision Zero Coordinator and Transportation Planning Manager Cammie Edson said the city has created an internal work group to study existing policies and coordinate with state and national organizations ahead of anticipated legislation redefining e-bike classifications. Edson told the board that upcoming national and state-level legislation is expected to reclassify what an e-bike is to make it make more sense and use more consistent definitions. Local policy updates will follow once state law changes. “What we don’t want to have happen is that Longmont ends up with a different policy than Erie, than Niwot, than Boulder,” Edson said. “When people pass through invisible boundary lines, they’re beholden to different criteria of what they can do on trails or what is allowed on trails. … We really want to make sure that we’re aligned at the national and state level.” The internal work group includes law enforcement, parks staff, and transportation planners. Edson said the group plans to focus first on education and safety messaging while awaiting new state definitions for e-bikes and e-motos. “We think there’s a lot of mismatch understanding in that department while we’re also waiting for those national and statewide efforts to catch up,” she said. Edson explained that the main difference between an e-bike and an e-moto is speed, but there still isn’t a formal definition on the books for e-motos. She said e-motos often resemble bicycles but can exceed those speeds, lack lighting and safety equipment, and are being “marketed as toys” despite having large motors and the potential to travel quickly. “There is no definition for e-moto yet,” Edson said. “That classification doesn’t formally exist yet. It’s being referred to in the field, and that’s the legislation that people are working towards. But that’s part of the challenge.” Edson said the city’s educational campaign will focus on what is currently legal in Longmont, how residents can safely share roads and trails, and how to distinguish between different vehicle types. “We want to start getting this education out in a way that makes sense to folks and is easily digestible to the community, because it is very confusing, and there’s a lot of different terms,” she said. Amy Wilkins, owner of Spice eBikes in Longmont, told the board during public comment on Monday that she hopes to be involved in the city’s discussions. “An understanding from a retailer’s perspective about what people are purchasing, what e-bikes are on the market, why people ride particular sorts of e-bikes, what the difference is between how people ride on trails versus what that pathway between Longmont and Boulder will require — things like that could be really important to understanding what kinds of regulations might matter,” she said. Edson said she welcomes community participation and expects to return to the board next year with proposed language and draft materials. “We’ll be actively working on it for as long as it takes,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll be rolling out some safety education pieces around what is legal, what is not, as well as just how to be a safe driver around bicycles, how to be a safe bicyclist around others.” Board Chair Alex Kalkhofer commended the city’s efforts to address neighborhood traffic concerns and educate the public about new rules around e-bikes and e-motos. “We’re only better if we bring everybody to the table,” he said. The next Transportation Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for Dec. 8.
