Oregon seeks to ban Class 3 e-bikes from bike lanes, sidewalks
Oregon’s Legislative Assembly wants to prohibit Class 3 e-bikes from using sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and bike paths with a recently proposed bill. Class 3 e-bikes are pedal-assist only, with no throttle and a maximum assisted speed of 28 mph.
The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 471, amends several Oregon statutes and outlines specific restrictions and exemptions for these high-speed e-bikes, according to a KMTR news report.
The bill would give a Class D violation to e-bike riders who use a sidewalk, bicycle path, or bicycle lane, but exemptions would be allowed for Class 3 e-bikes powered exclusively by human power.
The bill states that these e-bikes would be exempted from right-of-way protections afforded to bicycles, according to existing Oregon law. This removes the “bicycle” status from Class 3s and would not be legally protected if a driver failed to yield to them in a bike lane.
The bill also seeks to add an improper use of lanes provision, allowing the legal right to use a bike lane or bike path only when under human power, according to reporting by BikePortland.
If the Oregon Legislative Assembly approves the bill, it will go into effect this year, as more and more cities are clamping down on e-bike use of bike lanes and sidewalks traditionally legal for bicycles.
