Love them or hate them, electric bicycles are here to stay. Commonly called e-bikes, these incredible tools open up low-carbon commuting options and give kids new levels of independence on trails and around town. They have also electrified traditional debates about trail use and etiquette as open space visitors complain about unsafe behavior and accidents between e-bikes and cars make the news with regularity. What can public lands managers do to steward the dawn of the electric age without stamping out all the benefits e-bikes offer? How can rangers incorporate e-bikes into their patrol practices? In this presentation, we will talk about lessons learned from City of Louisville's ranger program as it adopted e-bikes for ranger patrol use. We'll also discuss strategies to address trail etiquette enforcement in a community-centered way.

Experience Level: Intermediate