e-bikes legal in DC?

[Tania]

Are they legal in DC? A coworker is thinking about getting an e-assist bike for her commute but she’s heard that they’re not legal in DC and the dmv.dc.gov site is blocked at work by our firewall (don’t ask, I don’t know why) so I can’t read the pdf that someone posted in the recent vespa in bike lane thread.

[mstone]

Fwiw, the DC gov web site has been compromised and hosting malware before. Once you get on the list it takes effort to get off of it.

[jrenaut]

If you can’t get to this site, here is the relevant excerpt.

1201.18 Except as otherwise permitted for a motor vehicle, no person shall operate a motorized bicycle on any sidewalk or any off-street bikepath or bicycle route within the District. This prohibition shall apply even though the motorized bicycle is being operated solely by human power.

1201.19 A motorized bicycle may be operated on any part of a roadway designated for the use of bicycles.

So no e-bikes on sidewalks and none on off-street bikepaths. Luckily we have all but none of them. And the chances of anyone in MPD being aware of this law or realizing it’s an e-bike are minuscule.

[Steve O]

@jrenaut 141903 wrote:

So no e-bikes on sidewalks and none on off-street bikepaths. Luckily we have all but none of them.

I think that would include the DC portions of the Capital Crescent, the Metropolitan Branch, the Rock Creek trail and the Anacostia trail network.
Others?

[jrenaut]

@Steve O 141909 wrote:

I think that would include the DC portions of the Capital Crescent, the Metropolitan Branch, the Rock Creek trail and the Anacostia trail network.
Others?

You’re right, it’s not really accurate for me to say we have all but none of them. And the MBT in particular is becoming an important commuter route. I wonder if the owners of the new Riide e-bike shop in Shaw might be interested in working with WABA and other interested parties to fix this.

[americancyclo]

@Tania 141884 wrote:

Are they legal in DC? A coworker is thinking about getting an e-assist bike for her commute but she’s heard that they’re not legal in DC and the dmv.dc.gov site is blocked at work by our firewall (don’t ask, I don’t know why) so I can’t read the pdf that someone posted in the recent vespa in bike lane thread.

[ATTACH]12003[/ATTACH]
A motorized bicycle is a two orthree wheeled vehicle with all ofthe following characteristics:(a) A post mounted seat orsaddle for each person that thedevice is designed andequipped to carry;“(b) A vehicle with two (2) orthree (3) wheels in contact withthe ground, whichare at least sixteen inches (16in.) in diameter;“(c) Fully operative pedals forhuman propulsion; and“(d) A motor incapable ofpropelling the device at a speedof more than twentymiles per hour (20 mph) on levelground.

[americancyclo]

@jrenaut 141903 wrote:

If you can’t get to this site, here is the relevant excerpt.

So no e-bikes on sidewalks and none on off-street bikepaths. Luckily we have all but none of them. And the chances of anyone in MPD being aware of this law or realizing it’s an e-bike are minuscule.

@Steve O 141909 wrote:

I think that would include the DC portions of the Capital Crescent, the Metropolitan Branch, the Rock Creek trail and the Anacostia trail network.
Others?

also includes bike lanes. as per the PDF.

[LhasaCM]

@jrenaut 141912 wrote:

You’re right, it’s not really accurate for me to say we have all but none of them. And the MBT in particular is becoming an important commuter route. I wonder if the owners of the new Riide e-bike shop in Shaw might be interested in working with WABA and other interested parties to fix this.

I don’t think that’s something that is ever enforced so it would be good to get it off the books; I generally see a few “motorized bicycles” every day on my MBT commute, passing me going uphill.

[jrenaut]

@americancyclo 141915 wrote:

also includes bike lanes. as per the PDF.

From the regulations I linked to, I read “any part of a roadway designated for the use of bicycles” as “bike lanes”. Has something preempted that?

[americancyclo]

@jrenaut 141921 wrote:

From the regulations I linked to, I read “any part of a roadway designated for the use of bicycles” as “bike lanes”. Has something preempted that?

1201.19 A motorized bicycle may be operated on any part of a roadway designated for the use of bicycles.

that part of the code comes from 2007 and the below chart is from 2013.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]12004[/ATTACH]

i guess you could argue that a cargo ebike doesn’t meet requirement a) and therefore is exempt?

[TwoWheelsDC]

Absent some aberrant behavior by your coworker, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where anyone with an e-assist would get any sort of grief about it from the authorities or others on bikes in DC. It doesn’t have to be registered and the owner doesn’t need a special license, so I’d say she should go ahead and make the purchase and not give it a second thought.

[Enabler]

@TwoWheelsDC 141927 wrote:

It doesn’t have to be registered and the owner doesn’t need a special license, so I’d say she should go ahead and make the purchase and not give it a second thought.

This x 100

Just do it.

[83b]

I’ll throw in another vote for just buying it, using it as much as possible, and not worrying about the vague and imperfect particulars about the current state of our laws.

I’ve been riding one everyday for about four or five years and haven’t had a single issue with law enforcement or complaint from other cyclists. I’ll occasionally ride it where it’s currently illegal because accessing a trail is the only safe option (generally just the MVT to get to my dentist in Crystal City; occasionally on the MBT to get to a buddy’s house). I just try to ride like an extra-reasonable human being when doing so and otherwise don’t think too much about it.

[jnva]

I don’t get why there’s even a question about it being legal. It’s a pretty good way to get around and in and out of the city. Why would it be illegal?

[UnknownCyclist]

Gee, I feel the same way about dirt bikes.

[Author]

Posts