Uploaded October 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
RES. 2020-0921 – Res. that, the amendments to the City of Omaha Park Rules, as set forth in Chapter 21 of the Omaha Municipal Code, is hereby approved
I'm strongly opposed to line #17 on the attachment, titled "Motorized Vehicles on Trails", which states: Class 2 and 3 electric bicycles will not be allowed on City trails.
This is a sloppy rule proposed by the newly appointed Acting Parks Director.
First, it would be unenforceable. Can you tell the difference between a Class 1 and Class 2 grip? Imagine a police officer 100 feet away trying to see if a bike going 25MPH has a throttle or not. Furthermore it is literally impossible to differentiate between a Class 1 and a Class 3 eBike by looking at it.
This rule change claims to help City Prosecutors, but eBike classification are nowhere to be found in the Omaha Municipal Code or Nebraska State Statues.
Second, this confusing rule change would discourage people from ridding bikes, and what better way for Omaha to celebrate Bike To Work Week (which is THIS WEEK) and Car Free Day (which is TODAY) then by passing this regressive bike policy. Omaha Planning Dept recently showed a major increase in the number of people riding bicycles on trails during the pandemic. Even with the increase in riders, I have not heard of anyone crashing their Class 3 eBike on the trail. This is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
Third, banning eBikes will not make the trails any safer. There is an exercise app I use called Strava, it's like Facebook for athletes, cyclists use the app to track how far and how fast they have ridden and then our stats get posted on a public dashboard.
A quick glance at the Keystone Trail shows a human powered cyclists (not an eBike) going 36 MPH on the trail last month. That's a regular pedal bike going way faster than a Class 1 eBike which is allowed under the new park rules.
The speedometer on my car goes to 150 MPH, while I've never gone that fast I'm still allowed to drive my SUV in a school zone. We don't ban cars for having the potential to go fast, we shouldn't ban eBikes for having a throttle.
I don't know if the single item on the attachment can be struck, or if the entire agenda item needs to be voted down, but either way Parks Department needs to submit a better worded addition to the rules.
Lastly, I would like to thank Sarah Johnson for finding this obscure rule change on the last page of the attachment. She will talk more about the strain this will put on our already over-worked police and also how banning eBikes discriminates against people with disabilities.
Thank you for listening and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.
RES. 2020-0921 – Res. that, the amendments to the City of Omaha Park Rules, as set forth in Chapter 21 of the Omaha Municipal Code, is hereby approved
I'm strongly opposed to line #17 on the attachment, titled "Motorized Vehicles on Trails", which states: Class 2 and 3 electric bicycles will not be allowed on City trails.
This is a sloppy rule proposed by the newly appointed Acting Parks Director.
First, it would be unenforceable. Can you tell the difference between a Class 1 and Class 2 grip? Imagine a police officer 100 feet away trying to see if a bike going 25MPH has a throttle or not. Furthermore it is literally impossible to differentiate between a Class 1 and a Class 3 eBike by looking at it.
This rule change claims to help City Prosecutors, but eBike classification are nowhere to be found in the Omaha Municipal Code or Nebraska State Statues.
Second, this confusing rule change would discourage people from ridding bikes, and what better way for Omaha to celebrate Bike To Work Week (which is THIS WEEK) and Car Free Day (which is TODAY) then by passing this regressive bike policy. Omaha Planning Dept recently showed a major increase in the number of people riding bicycles on trails during the pandemic. Even with the increase in riders, I have not heard of anyone crashing their Class 3 eBike on the trail. This is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
Third, banning eBikes will not make the trails any safer. There is an exercise app I use called Strava, it's like Facebook for athletes, cyclists use the app to track how far and how fast they have ridden and then our stats get posted on a public dashboard.
A quick glance at the Keystone Trail shows a human powered cyclists (not an eBike) going 36 MPH on the trail last month. That's a regular pedal bike going way faster than a Class 1 eBike which is allowed under the new park rules.
The speedometer on my car goes to 150 MPH, while I've never gone that fast I'm still allowed to drive my SUV in a school zone. We don't ban cars for having the potential to go fast, we shouldn't ban eBikes for having a throttle.
I don't know if the single item on the attachment can be struck, or if the entire agenda item needs to be voted down, but either way Parks Department needs to submit a better worded addition to the rules.
Lastly, I would like to thank Sarah Johnson for finding this obscure rule change on the last page of the attachment. She will talk more about the strain this will put on our already over-worked police and also how banning eBikes discriminates against people with disabilities.
Thank you for listening and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.
