Bike Trail

Bike Trail SF City Council SFPD Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

UPDATE: Lalley mocks Rec Trail ordinance enforcement, SFPD responds

l3wis June 15, 2023 16Comments

UPDATE: I decided to do an unscientific study today. I rode from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM on one of my one-speed bikes, 10 miles from Cherry Rock Park circling South to West 12th street. This is what I counted;

I found ZERO; One Wheels, Electric Scooters or Wheelchairs, Electric Foot Scooters or Electric Skateboards, E-I or E-III bikes or regular foot scooters (I have seen all of these vehicles in the past just not today).

Regular bikes (no assist or light weight for fast riding); 61

Walkers; 44

Children riding bikes; 12

Dogwalkers; 9

E-II (assist plus throttle); 8

Light weight road bike (riding over 20 MPH); 7

Baby Strollers; 5

Joggers; 4

Regular skateboard; 1

I found no surprises while I took this survey, most of the users are regular bicyclists and walkers which is normal. As for the riders of E-II bikes they were all in their late 60’s to early 70’s. It was 4 individual riders and 2 couples. They were maintaining a speed of around 20 MPH which is no surprise since that is the max speed setting on most E-II’s.

Yes, that is a picture of me riding my E-Bike on the bike trail. I had no idea Lalley was taking photos for his article until he asked my permission to use the photo. We will get to the nuts and bolts of his article in a moment, but apparently this line in his piece didn’t sit well with the SFPD;

The reality is that any law is only as good as the willingness of the government to enforce it.

(Looking at you, casual marijuana user.)

Or at least publicize it.

There is no guidance out on the trail system currently beyond the general rules of the road and ride at a safe and courteous speed.

So the SFPD responded to the article today on their favorite place to inform the public (I didn’t find one single comment that thinks enforcing E-Bike rules is a good idea);

It seems all you have to do is lightly mock the SFPD about enforcement of a useless ordinance and they snap into action. It is going to be fun watching officers hand tickets to grandparents riding E2 bikes pulling their wagon with Ms. Kitty in it. Will they also be giving speeding tickets to wannabe Lance Armstrongs for booking over 30 MPH on the trail on there 18 lb carbon fiber road bike?

The ordinance has been in effect since 2018 and I am pretty sure it has NEVER been enforced. There is also NO signage on the rec trail telling folks the speed limit or the restrictions of authorized vehicles.

In other words NO enforcement and NO notification . . . except on Facebook 🙂

When you get into discussions about the repealing the ordinances, councilors and other whiners in the bike community complain that it is complicated because of all these classifications, different emerging vehicles and technologies and the interaction with pedestrians.

But after reading over 90 comments with 99% of them in favor of eliminating the ordinance you wonder what kind of input the council got from the public when crafting this five years ago besides a handful of whiners? It’s time to start listening to the market on this. The E-Bike industry is one of the fastest growing in the United States, but once again the Sioux Falls attitude of go it alone, I know better then the rest of the country, is contributing to this.

There is also an attitude, especially at City Hall these days that climate change is NOT real and anything electric is bad. I often suggest to these people they should just run their homes on coal. If electricity is bad for a bike or car, isn’t it bad for your home? C’mon climate change denier, buck up, show us what you really think!

They are really overthinking it and only need to look at other communities for assistance. I would start with something very simple, get it on the books, and over the year study what needs to be tweaked and revisit it with changes;

Repeal all current restrictions, re-write from scratch
Post the speed limit of 15 MPH on the trail
Paint a white center line with pavement signage every 1/4 mile that says KEEP RIGHT
Allow Class II and Class III bikes, AS long as they maintain the speed limit, have pedals and only use pedal assist (NO THROTTLING). This is a simple setting on the bike.
Allow electric vehicles that CAN be ridden at a safe speed (this will be the hardest part of crafting the ordinance)
Have monthly enforcement on Saturdays where police hand out warnings for speed.

I know it seems laughable that an ordinance has been on the books for almost 5 years and there has been no public notification (signage) or enforcement. At least the person running the FB page for the SFPD was paying attention, better get them a challenge coin 🙂

Bike Trail Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

Bravo to the Sioux Falls Parks Department!

l3wis February 14, 2023 9Comments

With the weather getting it’s thaw on I have been trying to get my bike riding miles in, and it has been glorious. Yesterday I went on an extensive bike trail ride (my 4th in a week). While I like to bitch a lot about city services, the city deserves a gold star on plowing the bike trail. Don’t be fooled by winter. I have seen walkers, joggers, bike riders and pet enthusiasts on the trail and we are extremely fortunate to have the city plow our bike trail. Thank You!

Bike Trail Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

City of Sioux Falls has survey on E-Bikes

l3wis February 9, 2023 3Comments

While I do appreciate this survey, I’m not sure the questions really encourage E-Bike usage, but I did like the question about who speeds the most on the bike trail (the winning answer is regular bicyclists NOT baby strollers).

But there still seems to be some misinformation being spread about E-Bike classifications;

E-bikes come in four classes: 1, 2, 3 and “out of class.” Class 1 e-bikes allow assist up to 20 mph, which means you have to be pedaling for that to work. Once you hit 20 mph, the assist stops, and you rely on your own power. Class 2 allows for a throttle-based system, meaning you don’t have to pedal for the assist to work, but it still cuts off at 20 mph. Class 3 is pedal assist, but it goes up to 28 mph. Anything outside of those parameters is considered “out of class.”

While there are classes they vary much more then this. If you have a Class II or higher you can actually control the speed with what level you are locked into. So if I want to go below 15 MPH (the bike trail maximum speed) I can lock that in. While I get the premise of ‘out of class’ that really only applies to actual electric motorcycles that can usually top out at 80 MPH. While they are getting more affordable and powerful they are still a long ways from being mainstream. Anything that is a class II or higher is really just a moped despite the rhetoric;

“Anything that doesn’t fit in that class system and goes more than 20 mph with a throttle only is a motorcycle,” according to Chad Pickard, owner of Spoke-N-Sport. “It’s going to need insurance and have a licensed rider and mirrors and headlights and turn signals and anything that a motorcycle has. I don’t think people realize that.”

Moped classification under state law is simple, anything under 150 CC is classified as a moped and only requires that the operator have a valid driver’s license (not motorcycle). While you don’t need a license plate on the vehicle it is wise to have it covered under your homeowners insurance.

Comparing CC to electric output can be difficult, but there are horsepower comparisons. It really comes to maximum output. At full charge an electric class II bike can really have a lot of torque, similar to when you hit the throttle on a moped. It is really what is the maximum output of the moped NOT based on a speed or power source.

I love my E-Bike and encourage people to buy the safest and most powerful one you can get for maximum usage and let Pierre try to figure out what a moped is and what a motorcycle is.

Bike Trail Public Works Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec Transportation

Denver, CO sees measurable results from incentivizing E-Bikes

l3wis December 20, 2022 4Comments

While many people have told me to get off my high-horse about helping low income folks with an E-Bike leasing program, Denver has found that it has measurable results;

Researchers at Portland State University are tracking 65 programs nationwide that are active or that have been approved to help people get on e-bikes, either through subsidies or loaning a bike. California plans to launch a statewide program next year backed by $10 million.
E-bikes, which have a motor and battery to propel riders, can cost about $2,000, putting them out of reach for many low-income families. Denver’s program has two tiers, with one that offers $400 to any city resident — an amount aimed at sweetening the deal for would-be buyers. For low-income residents, the second tier increases the voucher size to $1,200, a sum city officials say should make the bikes more widely affordable.
Two other elements of the program are designed to encourage buyers to use their bikes for transportation: a bonus of $500 for cargo bikes, which can carry children or a large load, while full-suspension mountain bikes used primarily for recreation aren’t eligible.

And after Denver tried this pilot program, guess what they found out;

A city survey found new e-bike riders were riding, on average, 26.2 miles per week, and that low-income buyers were riding about 32 miles per week. Respondents said they had replaced 3.4 car trips each week with bike rides.
“It’s so much faster,” said Rink, who commutes by e-bike. “It’s much less of a chore. There is an element of joy in riding the e-bike.”

I would agree, my main reason I like riding my E-Bike is because it is enjoyable, but if you look at the results of this successful program it is also equitable. I hope the new transportation board in Sioux Falls looks at this.

Bike Trail Sioux Falls

Is Sioux Falls a Bike Friendly City?

l3wis July 7, 2022 3Comments

There is a lot of data out there about the how bike friendly a city is.

I would give the city props for having an amazing bike trail and adding more bike lanes in the roads. I think city (government) has made a very good effort over the past decade to make it more friendly.

I have been commuting on my bike for over 25 years. I have been in several accidents (most of them my fault and only involving my own injury due to my own stupidity).

But where can the city improve?

I would put this on private businesses, especially hospitality, who do very little to make this a bike friendly city. It is nearly impossible to find a bike rack at a restaurant in Sioux Falls (unless it was put there by the city in a public space in front of the establishment). And when the dining rooms closed at most of the fast food establishments during the pandemic (some still have limited hours – or not open at all) they would deny drive-thru to bicyclists. I found it very odd they would turn away a customer based on the form of transportation they use. I do understand you probably don’t want walk up or bicycle customers in the drive thru during night time hours, but I am still puzzled how someone on a bike would have better success at robbing you then someone in a vehicle (PS- vehicles are faster then bikes).

I find it annoying all the accommodations restaurants and bars make for people with babies in strollers and dogs but the bicyclists be damned! We have crayons for your child and a water dish for your dog, just not a safe place to lock up your bike.

Drivers need to also be more patient. I don’t find it humorous when you rev your illegal muffler truck next to me, honk at me or swear at me when I am riding in the road. If you need to get somewhere faster, I suggest you leave a little earlier. The safest place for a bicyclist is in the street where vehicles can see you. Every accident I have had on my bike has either occurred on the sidewalk or the bike trail.

I get it, Sioux Falls is a vehicle centric town, and in some ways that is city government’s fault. Just look at the 5-Year Capital Improvement program. 1% is being spent on public transit and 43% on roads. We gave away $50 million in tax breaks (TIFs) for parking ramps last year but you can’t find a bike rack to save your life. There is something wrong with that picture.

Businesses, city government, individuals, non-profits, churches, etc. need to promote less cars and more bikes. I think Sioux Falls could become a great bicycle city, now if we can just get people to stop bringing their dogs and rug rats to the bar.

UPDATE: Lalley mocks Rec Trail ordinance enforcement, SFPD responds

Bravo to the Sioux Falls Parks Department!

City of Sioux Falls has survey on E-Bikes

Denver, CO sees measurable results from incentivizing E-Bikes

Is Sioux Falls a Bike Friendly City?

You Missed

The Year in Review, oh, and Merry Christmas!

UPDATE: Why is the city lending a religious organization $500K?

F’ing USD

Sioux Falls is hostile towards bicyclists and peds