Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the E Bikes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
East Grand Forks to keep pedal‑assist e‑bikes on greenways; staff to update ordinance to match state limits
Summary
City staff told council pedal‑assist e‑bikes remain legal on greenway trails under Minnesota law; the council directed staff to amend the local greenway ordinance to clarify that non‑pedal motorized bikes are prohibited and to align motor‑power limits with state statute.
City staff clarified that pedal‑assist electric bicycles will remain legal on East Grand Forks greenway trails while the city updates its ordinance language to match Minnesota statute.
Reed Hutton, who presented the item, said Minnesota law treats pedal‑assist e‑bikes the same as regular bicycles and the council does not intend to ban those on greenways. He told the council the city’s concern is a separate class of motorized devices that do not have pedals and function as electric dirt bikes or motorcycle‑style vehicles; "a motorized vehicle is not legal to be used on our greenway trails," he said.
Staff and councilmembers identified two sources of public confusion: pictures on the city’s website that show mixed examples, and a motor‑capacity threshold listed in the packet that did not match updated state statute. Hutton said the city will amend the ordinance so its definition of a motorized e‑bike matches Minnesota law (the state now caps motor assistance at 750 watts for pedal‑assisted bikes).
Councilmembers asked staff to make the website images and ordinance language consistent and to return with proposed ordinance language soon. Hutton said police and staff had prepared a FAQ posted to the city website to address common questions while formal changes are drafted.
Next steps: staff will draft a revision aligning the greenway ordinance to state statute and clarify the examples and images used publicly so riders understand which devices are allowed.
