Some e-bike models banned from trail use in Butterfield, Yellow Fork canyons

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Salt Lake County Council bans Class 2 and 3 e-bikes from dirt trails.
• The ordinance applies to unincorporated areas like Butterfield and Yellow Fork canyons.
• Exceptions include downhill mountain bike trails and pre-approved races, with fines imposed.

HERRIMAN — The members of the Salt Lake County Council have voted to ban some e-bike models from trails and parks in the county's unincorporated areas.

The new ordinance bans Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes from using multi-use pathways, natural surface trails, and public parks within Salt Lake County; the "unincorporated areas" part of the rule means it applies to the aforementioned areas in the county that don't belong to a city.

"So specifically, this would apply to Butterfield Canyon, Yellow Fork Canyon, which is almost exclusively natural surface dirt trails," said Council Member Suzanne Harrison.

The ordinance will also impose a $150 fine for anyone on a Class 1 e-bike going over 20 mph through the areas, and for anyone found breaking the ordinance.

There are a few exceptions: this will not apply to e-bikes going downhill on a natural trail that is for mountain bike use only and the rule will not apply to races that have been pre-approved by the county.

Harrison says this is just a first step in making trails safer.

"With the technology changing so quickly, we want everyone to be able to have fun and get out there and enjoy the outdoors, but be safe," she said.

Before the vote, Cycling West editor Dave Iltis participated in the public comment and encouraged members to reconsider the ban, especially on Class 3 e-bikes.

"The speed limit should take care of that; e-bikes shouldn't go more than 20 miles an hour," Iltis said. "The e-bike world has changed very quickly, obviously. And I think the intent of the ordinance is good, but I don't think it's very well thought out in terms of especially Class 3 e-bikes."

He was also unsure if the council had spoken with local biking groups.

Harrison responded, saying the council had heard from Bike Utah, and would welcome feedback from more groups and people.

The ordinance passed unanimously.

Contributing: Mary Culbertson

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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