Parks & Open Space 5201 St. Vrain Road • Longmont, Colorado 80503 303.678.6200 • [email protected] www.BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org TO: Board of County Commissioners DATE: Wednesday, November 13, 2019 AGENDA ITEM TITLE: E-bike Pilot Study Results and Policy Recommendation PRESENTER: Tina Nielsen, Special Projects Manager ACTION REQUESTED: Approval I. Introduction This memo provides an overview of the 2019 e-bike pilot study research results and how these results have informed the staff recommendation to allow e-bikes on certain open space trails and related actions. The table below shows how the memo is organized, and the staff presentation will follow a similar order. Contents Section Description Page Section I Introduction 1 Section II Background 2 Section III E-bike Pilot Study Results 3 Section IV Speed Limits 5 Section V Electric Scooters 7 Section VI Staff Recommendation for E-bike Policy 8 Section VII POSAC Action 9 Section VIII BOCC Action Requested Attachment A 2019 E-bike Recommendation Map 1 Attachment B Final Draft Recreation Conflict Literature Review, Nov. 2019 1-98 Attachment C 2019 E-bike Visitor Intercept Survey and Speed Observation Report, 1-38 Oct. 2019 Attachment D Boulder County Telephone Survey Results, Aug. 2019 1-18 Attachment E Phase 1 E-bike Public Comments Feb-Sept. 2019 1-29 Attachment F Phase 2 E-bike Recommendation Public Comments Sept. 25 – Nov. 7, 1-16 2019 Attachment G Oct. 2019 E-bike open house comments regarding speed limits 1-2 Attachment H Oct. 24, 2019 POSAC Public Hearing 1 Attachment I Passive Recreation Definition Amendments Options for Oct. 16, 2019 1-4 Planning Commission Study Session Deb Gardner County Commissioner Elise Jones County Commissioner Matt Jones County Commissioner II. Background Since its inception in 1975, one of the hallmarks of Boulder County Parks & Open Space has been passive recreation. The definition of passive recreation was codified in the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan when it was adopted in 1978. The Open Space Element of the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan defines passive recreation in part as “non-motorized outdoor recreation”1. Thus, with limited exceptions2,3, motorized recreation is not allowed on Boulder County open space. With the advent of hybrid technology in the form of low powered electric-assist recreation and travel modes, many land management agencies are grappling with how to manage e-bikes. In August 2017, the governor signed a bill that changed the definition of e-bikes from motorized to non-motorized vehicles with the provision that e-bikes are allowed on bike paths unless local agencies act to prohibit them, which Boulder County did in early 2018. In December 2018, after nearly a year of public outreach and gathering input, the Boulder County Commissioners accepted the Parks & Open Space staff recommendation to hold a one-year pilot study allowing class 1 and class 2 e-bikes on most county open space trails on the plains where conventional bicycles are allowed, starting Jan. 1, 2019. Three goals were identified for the e-bike pilot study based on input from the initial public outreach in 2018, review of e-bike research and other related literature, and direction from BOCC and the Planning Commission at their March 2019 joint study session. Goal 1: Study the visitor and trail impacts of e-bikes. • During spring and summer, staff conducted studies on the visitor and trail impacts of e- bikes on county trails as well as conducting a literature review on recreation conflict and e-bike regulations and policies. Both the BOCC and Planning Commission highlighted the importance of sound survey design and sampling methods to achieve statistically valid results. Research results are included in Appendices B, C, and D and discussed in Section III below. Goal 2: Work with Planning Commission to explore options for updating the passive recreation definition as a means for allowing e-bikes on certain county trails. • Appendix J contains the options presented to the Planning Commission at their study session and public hearing on Oct. 16, 2019; the final decision is scheduled for the Planning Commission hearing on December 18. Goal 3: Employ a robust public engagement process. • Notices to public through the usual channels including social media, list serves, press releases, Commissioner ads, e-mail blasts, etc. • Public input web form on the county’s e-bike webpage throughout the pilot period. Phase 1 public input is included as Attachment E. Phase 2 public input specific to the staff recommendation received through Oct. 14 is included as Attachment F. • Three open houses in October (Longmont 10/2, Lafayette 10/3, and Boulder 10/6) to review research results and invite comment on the draft recommendation. See Appendix G for comments received at the open houses regarding speed limits. 1 https://assets.bouldercounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/bccp-open-space-element-2017.pdf 2 Individuals with mobility disabilities may use other power-driven mobility devices (OPDMDs) on all trails open for pedestrian use unless a particular trail has been designated as being unsafe for use based on the assessment factors found in § CFR 35.137(b)(2). A current list of trails that have been designated as unsafe for OPDMDs shall be kept on the Boulder County Parks & Open Space web site. See: https://www.bouldercounty.org/open-space/parks-and-trails/accessibility 3 Resolution No. 2018-132, 3.c.ii “Vessels at Lagerman Reservoir are limited to non-motorized vessels and motorized vessels with electric motors or gasoline motors of up to 8 horsepower or less. / 2 III. E-bike Pilot Study Results During the pilot, staff endeavored to obtain answers to the following questions in relation to Goal 1: • Are county residents’ perceptions about e-bikes on certain county trails generally favorable or unfavorable? How many e-bikes are on county open space plains and regional trails? What proportion of open space visitors do e-bikes represent? • How fast are bikes traveling on regional and plains trails, and can we determine if e-bikes speeds differ from speeds of regular bikes? • What are visitors’ perceptions of conflict on trails, can those perceptions be attributed to e- bikes? Are there differences in perceived conflict on regional trails compared to trails at open space parks? • Do county residents avoid trails because of e-bike use? • What safety concerns are associated with e-bikes? In order to answer these questions, staff conducted research through several methods. • Literature review. The regulatory landscape is a fast-changing landscape, and many agencies are regulating and studying e-bikes—in Colorado, across the country, and other places in the world. The literature review provides a picture of potential positives and negatives associated with e- bikes and how other agencies are addressing them. In addition to e-bike research and regulations, the literature review investigates the broader topics of recreation conflict and emerging technology. Larimer County, City of Ft. Collins, and City of Boulder all contributed funds to help pay for this study. Literature review key results (Attachment B): • E-bikes increase recreation access for aging populations and those with mobility disabilities. They enable riders to go further and comfortably ride over hilly terrain. A majority of e-bike owners feel safer riding their e-bike. For younger populations e-bikes tend to serve a utilitarian purpose, replacing car trips for commuting and errands. Given this substitutability of e-bikes, an increase in their transportation mode share could reduce carbon emissions. • Safety, speed, crowding, and user conflict are common concerns related to bicycles generally, and these concerns are heightened for e-bikes. Research suggest that e-bike riders behave very similarly to bicycle riders; both had high violation rates on roads, and while the average speed of e-bikes was higher than bikes on roads, they were slower on average on shared-use paths. Recreation conflict literature suggests that most conflict follows an asymmetrical pattern, and research on e-bikes shows that experience informs perceptions. Several studies show that trail users who are unfamiliar with e-bikes express a preference to not share the trail with them, but the majority did not notice that they were sharing the trail with e-bikes. Similarly, once they were exposed to e-bikes, concerns about them decrease for many. • All forms of recreation may have negative impacts to wildlife habitat, but there is little research to suggest that e-bikes have greater negative impacts on trails or wildlife than regular bikes and mountain bikes. • Most Boulder County communities allow e-bikes by default under the August 2017 change in state law, including City of Boulder (certain multi-mode paths, but not Open Space and Mountain Park Trails), Erie, Lafayette, Louisville, Longmont, and Superior. Many Colorado jurisdictions have acted to allow some or all classes of e-bikes, including Durango, Jefferson County, Eagle County, Summit County Rec Path, and the Rio Grande Trail. The City of Ft. Collins is currently holding its own pilot study of e-bikes on paved trails. Colorado Parks and Wildlife allows e-bikes wherever conventional bikes are allowed. In August 2019 the Department of the Interior issued an order directing all DOI 3 lands to exempt e-bikes from the definition of motorized vehicles and to permit them wherever conventional bikes are allowed. In addition, the order gave agencies 30 days to develop proposals to guide implementation. • Countywide telephone survey. A statistically valid countywide telephone survey provides a snapshot of Boulder County voters’ opinions and behaviors as contrasted with surveys of visitors. This tool is especially appropriate to measure e-bike perceptions in the general population, opinions about the importance of the various values and functions of open space, and potential displacement of users.