By Judith Rogers
A debate is underway about allowing electric bicycles on Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) watershed land. E-bikes are currently prohibited on the watershed. However, an assertive lobby aimed at reversing the policy has succeeded in getting the MMWD board to reconsider e-bike restrictions. The Sierra Club opposes motorized vehicles including electric bikes on single-track trails not designed for them, as well as on dirt roads and trails in watershed lands that require special protection from erosion.
Electric assist bikes make all sorts of sense for replacing fuel-powered vehicles on roads and accommodating riders with special needs. However, e-bikes for recreation on our watershed lands makes no sense at all. While increasing access to nature for all people is critically important, we must balance that value with the toll that e-bikes have on the natural environment. E-bikes degrade the environmental quality and aesthetic character of Marin’s fragile watershed. California defines e-bikes as bicycles equipped with a motor. Motorized vehicles and motorized bicycles are prohibited on MMWD land for a reason. This is because of the impacts e-bikes have on the environment, including habitat fragmentation, compaction of soils, erosion, water pollution and disturbance to wildlife.
The mission of MMWD is to manage the district’s natural resources in a sustainable manner and to provide its customers with reliable, high quality water. In order to maintain water quality and minimize sediment in creeks and reservoirs, MMWD must reduce the impacts of the road and trail network on wetlands, riparian areas, and other environmentally sensitive habitats. Maintaining the watershed’s natural ecological function as well as the system of trails and roads requires best management and environmental protection measures. E-bikes are incompatible with that mission.
Last year, in response to a growing number of e-bike-related conflicts, MMWD created a community advisory commission to develop recommendations regarding e-bike usage on watershed lands. Concerns presented to the commission included the potential for increased accidents on trails, wildlife and environmental impacts, enforcement of e-bike classification and Americans with Disabilities permits, as well as possible influx of e-bike ecotourism. Unfortunately, the commission was heavily weighted with electric cyclists, some of whom openly admitted to riding e-bikes on watershed lands in violation of policy. Concerned environmental experts were excluded and individuals representing environmental organizations were treated as one person rather than the many members they represent. MMWD’s public process, agenda postings, and live-streaming rarely worked, further skewing any legitimate public participation.
MMWD will vote on this matter within the next few months. Stay tuned for opportunities to speak out in support of the existing e-bike policy to protect the watershed.
NOTE: Before visiting MMWD lands for recreational purposes during the coronavirus pandemic, please check their website for restrictions.
Photo: Bon Tempe Lake, Marin Municipal Water District, by Dan Baron via Flickr Creative Commons.