In the state of West Virginia we are seeing proposed legislation to increase opportunities and access on public lands. One of those bills is Senate Bill 560. This bill addresses the use of electric bicycles or e-bikes, on public lands and trails where human powered bikes are allowed.

With increased popularity of e-bikes over the last couple of years we are seeing this issue occur regularly across the country. E-bikes have created an entirely new user group that public lands have not addressed previously. Oftentimes e-bike users are those with some type of physical limitation and the bike simply assists them on trails they otherwise wouldn’t be able to use on a human powered bicycle.

We are tracking this issue in several states throughout several bills and project proposals from federal land agencies. West Virginia is leading the charge in this important issue that will only become more pertinent. Send a quick comment using our action tool below to support recreation access for all users, especially those with physical limitations.