If you’ve used an e-bike or even just encountered one on state trails in Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources wants to hear from you. They’re conducting a survey about new rules introduced in August that allow residents to use electric bikes on certain state trails.
Those updated rules were introduced as a one-year trial. Feedback from the survey will determine if the department changes the rules, keeps them as-is or rescinds them.
The survey is an opportunity to continue a decades-long dialogue about how to share state trails, said Neal Glazebrook, who represents the League of Michigan Bicyclists.
“We [the league] wanted that one year trial period in there just to give everyone that may have been in opposition to this time to see the program work its way through,” he said. Glazebrook consults with the DNR on what kind of bikes are allowed on state trails.
A lot of trails allow bicyclists, pedestrians and even equestrians. That can lead to conflict between different users, he said.
“E-bike use is to some, considered a motorized use, and they don't think it should be anywhere near natural surface trails,” Glazebrook said.
That conflict is an acceptable trade-off for increased accessibility, said Tim Novak, the trails section chief at the department’s division of Parks and Recreation.
“We at the department feel that the risks of having those conflicts are definitely outweighed by the reward of providing access to people that want access to our trails,” he said. The electric motor on e-bikes makes it easier for residents with disabilities or chronic illnesses to recreate outdoors.
Class 1 e-bikes, which only move when the user pedals and can reach 20 miles per hour, are allowed on most trails. Residents with disabilities can apply for a permit to use Class 2 e-bikes, which users can move with just the electric motor.
“We want to remove any barriers that would prevent somebody from accessing our beautiful natural resources in the state,” Novak said. Glazebrook agreed.
“What I see is people getting access and being able to be out and enjoy the outdoors,” he said. He understands concerns that e-bikes don’t belong on state trails with non-motorized users. But e-bikes and regular bikes that are already allowed aren’t actually that different, Glazebrook said.
“None of them [e-bikes] necessarily exceed the capacity of, say, a very trained off-road cyclist,” he said. What makes any bicycle a danger or nuisance to others depends on who is using it, not the bike itself, he said.
The updated rules have been years in the making, Novak said.
“This definitely is not us trying to be trendy or just making a decision because somebody in the department likes e-bikes,” he said. “We had countless public feedback sessions and heard that this is what people wanted. And that we wanted to improve access for everyone.”
That’s why the department needs feedback — so it can see how residents are using the trails under the new rules. The survey will be open until early summer 2025.
