Boise Wants Your Thoughts on e-Bikes
E-bikes are catching on around the Treasure Valley, and some of them can really zoom. Boise is looking at ways now to make sure these electric bikes are playing nice with pedestrians and other bikes, and they're asking for your thoughts. Like, should faster bikes be kept off The Greenbelt?
Some cyclists like e-bikes better than regular mountain bikes, since the battery helps the e-bikes decrease resistance and increase speed each time there's a pedal.
You might not get as much exercise e-bike compared to other bikes, but if burning max calories is not your goal, an e-bike might be just the thing to get you further down the road with a little energy leftover at the end.
Boise city leaders just opened the discussion yesterday (Tuesday) about how to regulate them. The e-bikes are divided into categories, and the proposal they've got now would let the e-bikes that don't go above 20 mph "on city streets, in bike lanes, on the Greenbelt and on some trails in the Ridge to Rivers trail system," according to Boise Weekly. The faster ones that top 28 mph would have to stay off the Greenbelt.
They'll be taking public comments as they continue to fine-tune the rules, so if you have opinions, let 'em know! We just got started with the colder weather, but spring will be here before we know it and we'll be hitting The Greenbelt again. And some extra bikes may be joining us.