New Colorado laws: what do they mean for ebikes?

[gogo]

New Colorado laws: what do they mean for ebikes? If I understood correctly, motor use on ebikes is not allowed on bicycle or pedestrian paths unless specified. I'm too tired to double check that impression right now.

Here's a link to a 143 KB PDF file of the new legislation:
http://files.statesurge.com/file/949629

The changes are to take effect on this schedule:

The effective date of these changes depends upon the Section of the Colorado Revised Statute. Sections 1, 26, 29, and 53 take effect July 1, 2010, and the remaining Sections take effect October 1, 2009.

 

[dogman dan]

It will take a lot of readings to fully digest that one. Gee I hope New Mexico is too lazy to read it an imitate it.

Mostly it looks ok, regular stuff that's ok, like have a light on the bike at night you dummy, sort of stuff. One nice thing I saw, was that they ( local govt)couldn't ban ebikes from bike paths that are near heavily traveled streets. Looks like sidewalk parking is ok, but I didn't catch whether riding was. One thing, if local signs go up saying no motor vehicles, an ebike is not a motor vehicle. If the signs say motorized vehicle, oh well, but you could lobby for them to come down if the path is near a busy street.

One bogus thing you need to fight is how you make a left turn. You have to cross the street, then turn right and cross the street, as if you were a pedestrian. WTF! First you get two chances to get right crossed by a car, instead of one chance to get left crossed. Not safer in my opinion at all. But more importantly, even though they want you to register the thing, they don't give you full road rights. That plain sucks, and I bet the biker lobby in the state is going crazy on that provision. You should have FULL road rights, just like we do here in NM.

The registering thing is gonna be a real problem with anybody who builds an ebike too. They better let you stamp your own numbers on the frame, but again, it sucks because in my case, I often move a motor kit from bike to bike, experimenting. I never undersood the whole registering a bike thing, what? Is it a gun? Is it a dog? If it gets stolen and I can't identify it that's my problem right? As if the govt has plenty o money to deal with this stuff anyway. I garantee these ideas are not coming from law enforcement, or the local dmv office. Like they need more to do! Ideas from insurance companies and liability lawyers for sure.

Hopefully , most cops will be like, "When do I have time to care about any of this crap anyway". But still, you don't want bogus laws on the books that allow deputy jackass to ride bike riders with a heavy hand.

I didn't notice anything about speed limits for ebikes, or on bike paths , mabye I just missed it.

 

[deardancer3]

Yeah, I was reading it too. looks like some regulations aimed at scooters in the law. Segways legal some places.

I have seen lots of alternative transportation product use here in colorado springs, especially the younger folks and since the state upped our car registration fees big time. Gas powered bicyles, gas scooters, electric scooters, all using the paths, and freqently folks carrying grocery bags, so not just fun riding. Not a lot of interaction problems exept the recerational walkers disturbed by the noise.

I know one thing that is wanted; that if there is any alternative road/path, some juristictions want to ban all bicycles from using certain high speed troublesome roads. There is also lots of anger about the big bicyle club rides that hog the roads on weekends and make for significant road rage. Some of the western Denver suburbs are in the foothills, and the roads are pretty hilly and curvy with significant traffic for a two-lane road. The bike clubs like to have rides on these roads making summertime travel dangerous; these suburbs want the power to regulate this.

I did not like that an electric trike is only a Delta not a tadpole, "additional leading wheel" in front of two parallel wheels for electrics. They used the standard pedals that work and 750w maximum, but again no definition of peak, input or output powr.

more reading to do especially around the path use.

Several years ago, When I asked a local cop about enforcing some of these laws, he said he would be the first to help enforce them, right aftr all the murders and rapists were off the streets.

 

[lcyn]

Colorado
Ebike definition in Colorado follows the HR 727 National Law: 20 mph (30 km/h) e-power and 750 W (1 hp) max, 2 or 3 wheels, pedals that work. Legal low powered Ebikes are allowed on roads and bike lanes unless the city or county has passed laws to the contrary (Boulder city bans ebikes over 400W from bike lanes and all ebikes from bike paths) -none -(except Boulder city) have to date. Bicycles and Ebikes are disallowed on certain high speed highways and all Interstates unless signed as "Allowed" in certain rural Interstate stretches where the Interstate is the ONLY means of travel. [43] Unless the locality has specifically passed laws making ebikes illegal on sidewalks or trails, Ebikes are legal. However most business and shopping districts do not allow riding bikes or ebikes on sidewalks. Boulder and a few other cities specifically dis-allow ebikes on their trail systems through legal statute.
There is a misconception that when "motor vehicles" or "motorized vehicles" are disallowed by law or by signage, this would make ebikes illegal on trails. This is untrue in Colorado. In Colorado and many other states, these terms do NOT include "legal low power electric assist bicycles", and can only be banned by passing a specific local law.

This is from Wikipedia, and the proposed law mentioned does not seem to affect this. Ebikers need to be aware that overpowered motorcycle-looking ebikes that go too fast on trails and paths are going to cause problems for all of us, and may lead to restrictions. I say tone it down a bit--if we want to have the laws treat ebikes as regular bikes, we had best act the part. Stealth.

 

[gogo]

@Icyn
I think this bill is going to change things on the dates below:

The effective date of these changes depends upon the Section of the Colorado Revised Statute. Sections 1, 26, 29, and 53 take effect July 1, 2010, and the remaining Sections take effect October 1, 2009.

I'll edit the first post with this schedule info.

42-4-1412. Operation of bicycles and other human-powered
vehicles. (14) EXCEPT AS AUTHORIZED BY SECTION 42-4-111, THE RIDER
OF AN ELECTRICAL ASSISTED BICYCLE SHALL NOT USE THE ELECTRICAL
MOTOR ON A BIKE OR PEDESTRIAN PATH.

I think 42-4-111 says that local jurisdictions can allow motor use.

 

[dogman dan]

Ebikes that are really small motorcycles don't belong on streets, mountain bike trails or paths. ( 40 mph) Those are legaly off road vehicles for riding on private property or dirt roads. 48v usually put you in that category, and technically 20 amps of 36v lithium does too. 20x44 = 880. I think the limit should be 1000 watts, but that would still be illegal at 20 x56. So most of us are actually illegal, including me, with my 900 watt commuter bike.

I don't see a real problem with all the "illegal " ebikes as long as you don't flunk the attitude test. An asshole on 500 watts is a bigger problem than a courteous rider on 2500. Walkers on my bike path were a real problem. It took me 6 months of stopping and having a litte chat with each one to solve it for my locality. Now 99% of them walk to one side, leaving a hole for bikes, and make more space when they hear a bell or horn. A year ago, they expected the path to themselves, since it had been that way for years. Now that I have trained all the walkers, the bikers are riding the path again, when they all used to ride the adjacent street. One ebiker taking the time and using the right attitude changed riding on the path for everybody.

 

[JEB]

Here in S>B> CA. I stopped a cop when we were in a parking lot, asked him about electric assisted bikes, his comments were, the only things that he is conserned about and would stop a rider for was breaking the laws that a bike rider should follow, not the size of the motor on the bike.

He also said, to paraphase- we have more important things to do than follow bike riders around, stopping them to look at there bikes-.

Not to say that there is not a A.O. in any city that thinks he/she is appointed as on a mission from God when it comes to bike riders.

We had a fire here in Santa Barbara a few months ago, where thousands of people were prevented from going back to their homes for days, with a cop, or 3 on every street blocking axcess, I talked to most of them trying to see if one would let me through- they all looked at my trike with lots of comments, but not one had an interest in the motor, except to say is it electric?

The people that stop me to look at my trikes, and bikes, to them a 9"~ perm motor is just a motor, no idea as to it's HP.

 

[magudaman]

I think the wattage laws are sort of a joke, they are almost unenforceable and seems that they are only directed to the retail ebike and scooter markets. I really hope the banning of electrics in bike lanes and trails doesn't become popular, as we really wouldn't be able to go anywhere after that, legally.

 

[USAEBIKECO]

Whats funny is that even if you keep all the specs of the ebike within legal limits the police might still stop you if they see you wiz by them. I always carry ebike laws on paper with me, and pedal when the police are near. I dont think they get it that electric bikes exist and they are legal.