GONE ELECTRIC?
We get it. Electric bikes have opened up a new level of outdoor recreation.
But as you pedal your electric two-wheeler, please remember that you’ve got more juice than the average recreationist, which puts you in a position of greater responsibility.
Please use safe speeds. And as with all bikes, yield to pedestrians and slower trail users, and audibly announce if you are passing.
State trail rules for Electric-assist/Pedal Assist bicycles:
· Electric-assist or pedal-assist bicycles are allowed on state trails, or wherever normal bicycles are allowed, if they meet the following definition in Minnesota Statutes 169.011, Subdivision 27 (link is external).
o 2 or 3 wheels
o A saddle and fully operable pedals for human propulsion
o An electric motor that is:
· 1,000 watts or less,
· incapable of propelling faster than 20 miles per hour,
· incapable of further increasing the speed of the device when human power alone is used to propel the vehicle at a speed of more than 20 miles per hour, and
· disengages or ceases to function when the vehicles brakes are applied.
· A motorized bicycle that does not meet the definition of an electric-assist bicycle is not allowed on state trails where motorized vehicles are prohibited.
· When riding on State Trails, remember to yield to pedestrians and slower trail users, and give an audible signal if passing.