After a high-speed e-bike crash in the county and media coverage, Montgomery County officials told the Board of Commissioners on Oct. 9 that they have increased enforcement and will run public outreach to clarify which electric bikes are permissible on county trails.

The county official noted that the board "tripled the fine associated with the violations in August" and described a serious crash involving a resident identified as Mr. Drechler who was badly injured. The official said the other device involved appeared to be a machine with "a 3,000 watt motor that could go up to 50 miles per hour." The speaker said police may struggle to identify which e-bikes are illegal.

County staff said they have met with the Chiefs Association and will hold outreach events in October and November with parks staff, rangers and law enforcement on the Schuylkill River Trail and other county trails. The outreach will aim "to let people know, what kinds of bikes are acceptable or not, and the penalties, that, will be incurred for those who are riding, but, essentially, motorcycles on the trails," the official said.

The county emphasized that trails are a public amenity for families and that the goal of outreach and enforcement is to preserve safety. The commission also referenced the new Trail Junction Center as a place expected to support trail users and programming; an RFP for short-term programming at the Trail Junction Center was also announced during the meeting.

No ordinance changes were enacted at the meeting; commissioners described planned enforcement, public information, and partner coordination.