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Home My WebLink About091025 Correspondence 1 September 5, 2025 Re: Danville ebike safety Dear Danville Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission members, This is a public comment on behalf of Bike East Bay for the following September 5, 2025, Danville Parks, Recreation and Arts Commission meeting item: 5.1 Use of Bicycles, Scooters, and E-Bikes in Town Parks Follow Up We appreciate your thoughtful consideration of the items listed in the section Ordinance Options and Enforceability Considerations, and we recommend against pursuing either of the following options: 3. Full E-Bike Prohibition in Parks 5. Time-of-Day or Day-of-Week Restrictions We appreciate the safety concerns that have been expressed by community members in Danville about ebike riders, but we feel that existing regulations already provide the town with the enforcement authority needed to address the most dangerous behaviors. Trail restrictions could force otherwise safe ebike riders onto streets without adequate bike infrastructure and more in conflict with car traffic, creating even more significant safety risks. If any local ebike trail access ordinance changes are pursued, we recommend that Danville adopt the same rules as approved by the East Bay Regional Parks District, for consistency and transparency. This would include: 1. A signed 15 mph speed limit on any paved pathway that meets Class 1 multi-use trail standards (8 feet wide or greater) 2. Class 1 (pedal assist) ebikes permitted on any paved or unpaved trail where standard human-powered bikes are allowed; Class 2 (throttle or pedal assist) ebikes permitted only on paved trails (not unpaved) where standard human-powered bikes are allowed As a 501(c) non-profit organization in operation since 1972, Bike East Bay has long been involved in bicycle safety and encouragement issues throughout Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. This has included infrastructure advocacy to help improve street safety for all road users, and advocacy on ebike issues which included winning full access for ebikes on every East Bay public transit system and coordination with the East Bay Regional Parks District on an ebike access pilot project which has since been made permanent. PO Box 1736, Oakland, CA 94604 510 845 RIDE (7433) • info@bikeeastbay.org Our free bicycle education program is also now one of the largest in the country, providing sessions on many topics to enable people to do more by bike and enjoy every trip. These classes target adults, families, as well as youth riders, which is especially important as bike riding among young people has dropped significantly throughout the US ever since the 1960s. This has had a negative impact on physical and mental health, while also contributing to congestion and traffic safety issues around schools. Recently, we have started seeing an uptick in ridership among youth as ebikes have become more accessible and popular. This can be a great thing, as even with a battery boost ebikes have been shown to still have physical activity benefits, while helping to reduce car congestion and pollution, and enable increased independence and mobility for young people. We want to see this ridership continue to increase in a healthy and sustainable way. To do so means our communities can’t only impose restrictions and enforcement, but also take many supportive actions with regard to legislation, communications, programs, and infrastructure. Our list of recommendations includes the following: 1. Support legislation on the state level to provide more distinction between legal e-bikes versus electric mopeds or motorcycles. Our partners at the California Bicycle Coalition are sponsoring Senate Bill 455 in 2025, which intends to provide this distinction, while also prohibiting e-devices that don’t fit any category under state law. — 2. Implement outreach with local shops and retailers about e-bike regulations and education opportunities when serving parents and kids. Find our list of existing member shops here. — 3. Request a free bike class in your East Bay community with our certified bike education program instructors. More info via the request form here. — 4. Support funding and organization for youth bike programs to provide positive reinforcement and peer leadership opportunities, to foster a healthy local bike culture. These could include education classes, encouragement activities and prizes, bike clubs, group rides, mechanics workshops, advocacy trainings, and a lot more. — Some great examples include Bike Pleasant Hill Elementary’s PTA-sponsored bike club, Oakland’s Scraper Bike Team, Richmond’s Rich City Rides youth bike programs, youth bike repair training internships with Street Level Cycles and Oakland Public Library, or Bike East Bay’s own Concord high school bike club activities operated in 2024. — 5. Support data-informed approaches to e-bike and other traffic safety needs. Official responses involving enforcement must always be contextual and relative to the actual risk, in order to stay on target with regard to overall safety goals. PO Box 1736, Oakland, CA 94604 510 845 RIDE (7433) • info@bikeeastbay.org — Dangerous driving is still by far the most significant factor with regard to severe and fatal crashes. — Even well-intentioned initiatives that take resources and attention away from addressing the primary factors associated with traffic violence can have a negative impact overall. — 6. Consult with Bike East Bay on e-bike education and outreach materials. We have unfortunately seen several jurisdictions and police departments get details wrong on PSAs to inform the public about e-bike rules and safety. — We acknowledge that it’s a complicated topic, and new regulations are being added every year. — As such, we are happy to coordinate and make sure any materials going out are up to date and accurate. — 7. Support the construction of higher quality bikeways across the East Bay to give people more places to ride, reducing congestion and conflicts on the limited multi-use trail network. — We have especially heard concerns from cities across the Tri-Valley area about youth e-bike safety issues. But these jurisdictions are currently over-reliant on multi-use trails with little to no protected bikeway construction elsewhere. Danville has no Class IV protected bikeways built to date, and none recommended in the 2021 bike plan. This is out of step with best practice bikeway design principles such as the Urban Bikeway Design Guide from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), or from Caltrans’ Complete Streets Contextual Design Guidance. — 8. And most importantly, involve local youth in the decision-making process for all the above. They are the ones who will be primarily impacted by any changes, as well as being among those most affected by street safety issues and most in need of mobility solutions. Thank you for receiving these comments, and we hope to hear from Danville staff and electeds on coordination opportunities. Cordially yours, Robert Prinz Advocacy Director, Bike East Bay robert@BikeEastBay.org PO Box 1736, Oakland, CA 94604 510 845 RIDE (7433) • info@bikeeastbay.org