E-bike magic carpet a knee-jerk response | CPT PPP Coverage

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Editor:

Nearly $17 million to inevitably attract more tourists on e-bikes to a wilderness area, eh?

Calls for expanded bike paths are growing, citing safety concerns as a result of the increasing prevalence and heightened speeds of e-bikes. I think most are in support of this means of transportation for tourists and locals alike to get in and out of town for work, dinner, hiking, or grocery shopping, all while reducing the vehicle traffic burden. But an entirely new path on a route which already restricts vehicle traffic seems wholly misdirected.

This is yet another reactionary, knee-jerk response to skyrocketing tourism in Aspen. Rather than addressing the root cause, which is admitted by all parties to be an unmanageable increase in e-bike renters who disregard the rules of the road and display poor bike-handling abilities, the proposal is to construct a special accommodation for the problem causers themselves. 

Let’s imagine how quickly this path will be rendered useless when unassisted cyclists inevitably attempt to pass e-bikers on a flat section of path or vice versa on a steeper section of path that is only 4 feet wide. If you think e-bikers stop dangerously often in the road’s current form, wait until they have a domain to call their own. You might confuse the bike-only path with the City Market parking lot at 5 p.m. on a Friday. 

And who really benefits? Shuttle drivers may be relieved of some undue stress but otherwise, this is simply further rewarding irresponsible behavior. How many native trees, plants and animals will be killed or displaced to accommodate this magic-carpet-for-e-bikers? And how much of the charm of the approach to our Maroon Bells wilderness will be diminished once the industrial-grade guardrails and retaining walls are installed?

I don’t really believe that this plan will proceed, at least not in its current form, based on the preposterous cost alone. So why the fuss? I believe it is a telling example of the upside-down thinking currently en vogue. If e-bikes are the issue, how about policing rental companies and actually limiting the number of e-bike visits on Maroon Creek Road each day/week/month? What about limiting e-bike use on these out-and-back, sightseeing-only routes to those over 62 years of age to encourage the more physically capable folks to do it the old fashioned way — by their own power with the satisfaction of earning the view? Isn’t that the spirit that an outdoors-focused and health-forward place like Aspen should be promoting? 

If we believe that accessing some of the most beautiful views in Aspen should be as easy as hopping on a motorized vehicle for 35 minutes, why don’t we also install a Poma lift to whisk novice skiers and sightseers from Loge Peak to the top of Highland Bowl? It would only be appropriate in the age of instant gratification and effortless dopamine hits. We could be the Disney World of the great outdoors!

James Taylor

Aspen