If this is the case, and I do believe it’s a very valid point, then that is what legislatures should focus on and express as they argue for or against these laws. Forget the nuances of the bikes and how they are technically motorized or non-motorized. They should communicate that much better.
And the point of this thread is to discuss if e-bikes should be allowed in areas designated as “non-motorized” travel areas.
This thread is almost a year old and 15 pages long.....shoot me? People above this post were discussing classes of ebikes, its not that big of a deal
Not surprising to see Manzella's name on a "amater-hour-ish" bill. She is the Marjorie Taylor Greene of Montana.
Gotta give them props. That's kinda cool lol. Id love to have that after a Sams Club run
Mountains, trails, exertion hiking, backpacking, jogging, hunting, exploring ... I agree. Like you, injury was devastating. My severed patellar tendon sidelined me for almost a year and now keeps me slower and more careful ... but at 78 yo it's even more critical for me. I have a mountain bike, but only exercise on roads or easy trails. I don't like to ride it in the forest as it requires focus, speed at times, and detracts from my experience. Meeting bikes, motorized or not, on the trails is a real PITA for me. I am glad that certain areas are set aside for bikes. Ride em there so I don't have to deal with them!
I have no issues with your "vent". Sorry to hear about your Patellar Tendon. My son had to have his reconstructed due to injury while wrestling in High School. It was a rough road for him too. Luckily he had the advantage of being 16 years old and incredible young person bounce back. You and I didn't have that luxury.
My motivation: we can't just keep shrinking what intact habitat remains and expect big game populations to remain stable.
IMO, music, with earbuds or not, should be banned on the trails ... just as motors, electric or not, should be banned on the pristine USFS outback trails comprising elk habitat.
I'm sure someone hunts there. I get the point you are making but just because it doesn't impact you directly doesn't mean it won't impact other hunters.
...or the wildlife.
www.trcp.org
I get your point but let's be real. People are going to continue to move to Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Utah etc. to "get away" from the more populated areas. They love the idea of living where they can easily access their forms of recreation. The problem isn't a few hundred mountain bikers. Much like you elude to in your comment above, the problem is less wintering ground, more people, everywhere they can be, due to trail systems. More roads/highways cutting off migration routes etc. There are millions of acres of land that people aren't riding bikes into and people are rarely hiking/backpacking into. But these same people are all living in the foothills below these wilderness areas where the generations of animals have been able to escape the worst of winter. Today, there are houses, ranchettes, roads, etc. all over those areas.
