A man tests out an e-bike during a Department of Natural Resources event at Sandy Point State Park.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is considering new regulations that will allow everyone to use pedal-assist electric bicycles on state bike trails, increasing accessibility and enjoyment of Maryland’s public lands.
For years, all electric bikes have been treated the same as motorized vehicles in parks and public lands, prohibited from traveling on trails and restricted to roads and parking lots. Meanwhile, sales for electric bikes have increased, quadrupling between 2019 and 2022, per the U.S. Department of Energy.
In response to this demand, the department has drafted a regulation that will allow pedal-assist e-bikes (Class 1 and Class 3 only) on state trails where bikes are already allowed. Exceptions will be made for trails that were designed for specific user groups, such as pedestrians, for infrastructure concerns, for safety concerns and for habitat protection, at the department’s discretion.
“This e-bike policy will help even more people enjoy Maryland’s multi-use trails,” said Sandi Olek, director of the Maryland Office of Outdoor Recreation.
These regulations will provide clarity to e-bike users and lay a foundation for a burgeoning electric cyclist community in the state.
Class 1 and Class 3 bikes are pedal-assist e-bikes. The electric assist function will not activate unless a person is pedaling. These bikes stop providing assistance when the bike reaches 20 miles per hour.
Class 2 bikes have a throttle function and do not require pedaling. Under the proposed regulation, Class 2 e-bikes are only allowed on trails if the bike is adaptive.
Under the proposed regulation, an adaptive bicycle is “a bicycle designed with a specialized mobility device for use by individuals with physical disabilities or mobility challenges and that may be customized with one or more of the following adaptive features: (a) Hand-cycles; (b) Three-wheeled designs for stability; (c) Reinforced frames; (d) Adaptive seating; or (e) Specialized controls.”
Class 1 and 3 e-bikes are currently allowed on the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail and the Western Maryland Rail Trail, but prohibited on all other trails.
E-cyclists should wave and greet other trail-users, yield to pedestrians and equestrians, maintain a safe speed, and turn off their motors when passing a horse to avoid spooking it. The general rule for e-cyclists is “Say Hey, Give Way, and Enjoy the Day.”
The proposed regulation was published today in the Maryland Register and Maryland Register Online, along with information on how to submit a comment.
The Department will be accepting public comments through September 22, and will consider the feedback before adopting its final regulation. Comments may be sent to the Office of Outdoor Recreation, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 580 Taylor Ave C-4, Annapolis, MD 21401; emailed to outdoorrecreation.dnr@maryland.gov, or submitted through an online comment form.
