It’s been hard to miss the town of Wellesley’s new multi-pronged awareness campaign about e-bike safety—the sandwich boards, the postcards, the emails/website content.
While the information has clarified much about a sometimes gray, sometimes changing set of state and local rules, one question has remained: Can you ride e-bikes on the Brook Path?
That was the first question Mrs. Swellesley had when the e-bike safety postcard arrived at our house. Some have also raised the question in local online forums, which have been active with stories of close calls and demands for more enforcement.
In addition, we heard the topic of e-bikes on the Brook Path discussed during this week’s meeting of the Wellesley Trails Committee, which has been monitoring the use of e-bikes on trails for some time now (see about 30 minutes into the Wellesley Media recording).
With some of the sandwich boards placed by the Brook Path, people might naturally think the message relates to the heavily used trail that stretches two-plus miles from Dover Road to Wellesley Hills.
The messaging specifies that you can ride a Class 1 or 2 e-bike—pedal-assist or throttle up to 20 mph—on public roads, in bike lanes, and on shared use paved paths. And that you can’t ride them on NRC Trails (whether most residents or others would know what “NRC” is… Natural Resources Commission… we’re not so sure).
But the Brook Path is indeed an NRC trail. Is it really a paved path though? It’s mainly covered in stone dust.
We got clarification on this subject from NRC Director Brandon Schmitt and Wellesley Police Lt. Michael Lemenager.
Schmitt says “the NRC has not yet taken any formal action to designate the Brook Path one way or another. But it is altered and improved with surfacing materials that move it beyond the more simple ‘natural’ trails that are outlined in the governing state regulations. We continue to monitor the information available, and our hope is in the absence of governing regulations that with continued education and some common sense, everyone can continue to enjoy the path safely.”
Lt. Lemenager adds that “Legislators really need to address the gaps created by the popularity of these bikes, especially the undefined ‘class 3’ models that are essentially electric motorcycles… I think it’s going to take some action at the State House to put pressure on retailers to educate families and inform them of the laws at the point of purchase. After all, we don’t allow 13–15 year olds to purchase motorcycles or drive them off the lot unregistered and unlicensed, and I would imagine more legislative action will come in this area.”
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