New regulations for electric bikes on the city council agenda

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Electric bikes are nothing new to Albuquerque. They’ve been around for a few years, but there’s still some confusion about where burqueños can ride them.

Councilman Brook Bassan’s proposal aims to fix that. It would allow Class 1 and 2 e-bikes on all paved trails, and would also establish a general speed limit of 20 mph citywide.

Her proposal would also give the city the freedom to choose unpaved trails, like in Bosque. But local e-bike enthusiasts suggest that might be too much, too soon.

“There’s not a lot to be happy about in this bill,” said Patrick Martin, advocacy director at Bike ABQ.

Martin says there is one thing he is happy about.

“The most important thing is certainly to allow Class 2 electric bikes to be used on paved paths,” Martin said.

He says they’re the most popular e-bikes. They can go up to 20 miles per hour and make pedaling up and down Albuquerque’s hilly landscape much easier.

Still, state lawmakers have banned their use on public trails unless municipalities establish their own regulations.

“We wanted to make sure that people who use these modes of transport for leisure or other life purposes could get where they wanted to go, and that other bikes could use them as well,” Bassan said.

But Bassan’s bill doesn’t stop there. He says the city’s Parks and Recreation Department has requested a city-wide 20-mile-per-hour speed limit, but Martin suggests that’s a temporary fix.

“The city’s biggest issue is trying to address the issue of speed limits when there are conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians on these very popular paved trails. And the best way to address that issue is to simply provide safer options for cyclists,” Martin said.

This includes new, protected bike lanes, such as those coming to Louisiana Boulevard near Kirtland Air Force Base.

When it comes to unpaved trails, Martin believes city officials should keep pedaling.

“There are certainly valid reasons to allow e-bikes on unpaved, open trails. But there are also a lot of reasons why the city might want to restrict them. It’s, it’s a really tough situation for the city to be in,” Martin said.

The conversation about e-bikes doesn’t end Monday night. Martin says city leaders are expected to finalize a long-term bike plan later this year.