By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
A bill designed to provide a clear definition of electric-assisted bicycles passed the state House in a bipartisan, near-unanimous vote on Monday, and now awaits discussion and voting in the Senate.
Electric-assisted bicycles, commonly known as e-bikes, include a small, battery powered motor but retain functional pedals and can still be operated as manual bikes. The just-passed House Bill 8 defines an e-bike and says e-bike riders are to be classified as cyclists.
Specifically, the bill says e-bikes are neither motor vehicles nor mopeds.
An electric bicycle is set on display at Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop today. The House passed a bill on e-bike regulations Monday. (Sentinel Photo)
“An electric-assisted bicycle is considered a bicycle and may not be regulated as another type of vehicle; and a user of an electric-assisted bicycle shall be afforded the same rights and be subject to the same duties as a user of a bicycle,” the bill states.
Sitka Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, one of the bill’s cosponsors, said the aim is to define e-bikes so Alaskan communities can move forward with their own regulations if they so wish.
“Now communities, municipalities can create regulations,” Himschoot told the Sentinel by phone Tuesday. “And if it’s not defined in statute, then you end up with regulations that vary so widely across the state it becomes really difficult for people to know what they can and can’t do and where they can and can’t do it.”
The bill also differentiates between the three primary types of e-bikes, which offer varying degrees of assistance to the rider and have differing top speeds, from 20 to 28 miles per hour.
HB-8 passed in a 39-1 vote Monday, with only Eagle River Rep. Jamie Allard in opposition. After that vote of approval in the House, Himschoot said, she thinks HB-8 has a good chance in the Senate.
The bill responds to the wishes of various interest groups in the state. Rep. Ashley Carrick of West Fairbanks, who brought the bill forward, said in a press release Tuesday that “the bill clears up a gray area by adopting standards that have been adopted in 39 other states.”
“I am eager to get this bill passed to provide clarity that is requested by retailers, customers, and municipal entities alike,” Carrick said.
At the Yellow Jersey Bike Shop in Sitka, bike mechanic James Pelletier said local demand for e-bikes has risen in recent years.
“It’s everybody. Absolutely,” he said. “(For) people who have mobility issues it’s an excuse to get out more, because some of the struggles are removed... You can remove hills and things at the push of a button. So it kind of gets a whole group of people active. Sometimes it’s the difference between biking or not. If you’ve got a physical condition that prevents you from really cranking your heart rate or something, this gets you back in the game.”
While a quality commuter e-bike costs $2,000 or more, he said, some can be had for less. There are about 100 e-bikes currently being ridden by Sitkans, he said.
“It’s getting an entire group of people, not just the usual, routine biker types. The purists are even getting on board,” Pelletier said. “... You are, in fact, still ‘earning your way’ – you can just get there quicker and go farther.”
In Juneau, Himschoot said the bill, now in the Senate’s hands, boils down to “common sense.”
“Really, it’s just guidance,” Himschoot said. “It just helps us know how we’re going to get along together using the various vehicles that we use… So much of this comes down to common sense and just being polite with people.”
She’s glad the bill made it through the House and, if it becomes law, will provide a framework to cities such as Sitka to govern e-bike use in their own communities.
She said it will be up to Sitka to make local guidelines on e-bikes that will work for this community.
“It’s a good bill. I’m glad it passed,” she said.
