Grand County Trail Mix Committee approves Class 1 e-bike etiquette sheet

The Grand County Trail Mix Committee on Feb. 10 approved a one-page etiquette sheet titled “New Power, Same Respect: Welcoming Class 1 E-Bikes in Moab,” seeking a unified, neutral message for riders and land managers.

Samantha Derbyshire, vice chair, said the intent of the document was “to all get on the same page, educate everyone,” and staff will distribute the sheet to county administration and partners. Jacques Hadler, the county representative, had called for the committee’s outdoor recreation subcommittee to prepare outreach materials; committee members discussed routing the finished sheet to the Office of Tourism for wider dissemination.

Speakers pressed for language that emphasizes rider behavior rather than singling out equipment. Anna Sprout (GCATT) urged caution about prescriptive rules: “Hesitant to make hard and fast rules, exceptions to rules create user conflict,” and recommended keeping the guidance as recommendations. David Glover, the biking representative, highlighted safety concerns, saying “headphones can be dangerous,” and urged reminders about preparedness and skill-appropriate route choices. Kya Marienfeld (hiking rep) asked that the “What’s Permitted” section name a few example trails; committee members suggested Sovereign Trails, Slickrock and Poison Spider as candidate examples to clarify where Class 1 e-bikes are typically allowed.

Several practical edits were adopted before the motion to approve. Committee members agreed to reword yield language to require riders to “proactively communicate with uphill and downhill users,” to discourage creating ride-arounds that damage trail surfaces, and to keep the guidance to a single page for distribution. Evan Smiley argued these interactions are often split-second and noted the default practice should encourage downhill riders to defer to uphill users while using clear signals; Patrick Trim suggested adding a note about passing respectfully to preserve uphill momentum. The committee also discussed linking to existing motorized-use materials where appropriate so motorized riders can reference a separate resource.

A motion to approve the etiquette sheet was made, seconded and approved; the transcript does not record a formal roll-call tally. The committee will forward the finalized document to county administration and partner outlets for distribution and was encouraged to coordinate with motorized-user groups on complementary materials.