TRAVERSE CITY — In response to the growing popularity of electric bikes, or e-bikes, TART Trails and community partners recently hosted a community conversation on e-bike trail etiquette.
“Starting at the beginning of the pandemic, numbers shot up in terms of the number of people using the trails, and the number of people who were inquiring, ‘are e-bikes allowed,’ and in some cases complaining about the fact that they were out there,” said Brian Beauchamp, communications and policy director at TART Trails.
Beauchamp said that in contrast to previous “siloed” conversation about the issue, it was important to have a conversation about e-bike trail etiquette with a wide variety of stakeholders.
Local bike shops and rental facilities, in addition to bike-focused community organizations such as Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association, the League of Michigan Bicyclists, and Norte were represented at a May 4 panel.
Matthew Hays, owner of e-bike rental shop Riding Electric, said that e-bikes have made the Leelanau Trail more accessible to a greater number of people.
“Our [rental] demographic has been mostly older folks, and folks who may not normally get out on the trail,” Hays said. “People are enjoying something they wouldn’t normally go out and do, due to the fact that they can ride an electric bike.”
However, Hays said that Riding Electric has received some negative feedback from users of the Leelanau Trail.
“Being right on the TART Trail, we have had people talk to us, saying, ‘hey, the e-bikes go so fast’ — really honest complaints,” Hays added.
As a result of this feedback, Hays said that Riding Electric plans to make an etiquette video and make it mandatory to watch as part of the e-bike rental process — demonstrating using a bell, giving proper passing distance, and other courtesy measures when sharing the trail.
The importance of e-bike knowledge and etiquette increases with the rapid growth of e-bike sales and rentals in the area.
“[The e-bike market] is not going to double in the next year or two; it is going to quadruple or more. This is what we’re seeing happen,” said Shaun Quinn, owner of Bayfront Beach and Bike in Elk Rapids. This increase is occurring across demographics.
“We’re seeing the demographic go from 65 (years old) to 85 down to 40,” Quinn said.
Panelists hoped that the event encouraged a commonality of focus among stakeholders in how to share the trails.
“What we really want to focus in on is fostering a culture of trail etiquette – and not just trail etiquette, but all bikeable facilities,” Beauchamp said.
Beauchamp encouraged individuals who utilize trails to practice “the three C’s” of trail etiquette, regardless of their mode of transportation: courtesy, caution, and control.
He also noted that TART Trails’ website includes an option for incident reporting, if people have a negative experience on the trails.
“What it boils down to — Don’t be that guy. Don’t be the person that people shake their head at for poor behavior,” Beauchamp said.
