To the editor: Set solitude aside and just talk about safety (“E-bikes are all over mountain trails. Some want them banned,” April 15).
If you are on an e-bike and travel farther along the trail than you could hike back from on foot, then we have a problem. You could face injuries, fatigue and mechanical problems, and Search and Rescue has to go farther to drag you and your machine back.
There is a reason hiking and mountain biking trails have prohibited motorcycles. These reasons apply to e-bikes as well.
Caroline Brown, Sierra Madre
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To the editor: Do public officials care at all about lowly hikers who just want to enjoy nature’s splendor? Our trails are turning into high-speed dirt roads for motorized bikes, terrorizing the hikers for whom the trails were cut in the first place. Just another dystopian feature among many in today’s messed-up world.
David Schaffer, Woodland Hills
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To the editor: I have been mountain biking for the last 40 years and switched to a pedal-assist e-bike when I hit 79. Over my years on the trails, I have observed a variety of modes of transportation including analog and e-bikes, one-wheel boards, horses, runners, walkers and even pickups, vans, heavy equipment and motorcycles. It’s not the mode of transportation that’s dangerous but the operator.
Speed limits need to be posted and enforced. People should be aware and courteous. Anything with a throttle is a motor vehicle and should be banned from the trails, with the exception of maintenance vehicles. And while I’m at it, I miss seeing rangers on horseback rather than in pickup trucks.
John Sherwood, Topanga
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To the editor: I would agree that e-bikes present hazards on hiking trails and have no business sharing equestrian trails with horses. But the simple reality is that riding a bike on the streets of Los Angeles these days is very dangerous. People are distracted by various factors and even a minor “accidental” collision with a car can be fatal for a cyclist.
In January, it was announced that $25 billion has been allocated for a tunnel to bypass the 405 Freeway in the Sepulveda Pass. Is there any way some of that money could be spent to build bike-only roads to help those of us who ride bikes in our city and don’t want to risk life and limb on the busy surface streets?
“Bike lanes”? Painted lines in the street won’t help you. Provide safe routes for bicycles and I think the public would gladly use them. They have such roads in Europe. If you build them, we will come!
Peter Marquard, Northridge
