One of our members met with an attorney in consideration of filing and funding a law suit against OC Parks. For now we have decided to reach out to the OC board of supervisors since exhaustive efforts with the OC Parks advisory board and OC Parks trail Management committee have gone no where. Here is a copy of our letter to our district supervisor Lisa Bartlett.
Hi Lisa,
We are located in your district. Our address is 30025 Alicia Parkway #201, Laguna Niguel. I have also been a resident of Laguna Niguel since 1987. I am the Managing Director of the Electric Mountain Bike Association with more then 1000 members. We have gathered over 4000 signatures on a petition requesting access for low power pedal assist bikes to be permitted in OC Parks. The prohibition on access mostly concerns and negatively impacts senior citizens.
We have already presented our petition signatures, Petition Comments and supportive documentation including but not limited to copies of public law 107-319, Department of Interior Order 3376 and AB1096 and have made exhaustive efforts to address this with the OC Parks supervisory advisory board and OC Parks trail management committee only to be blocked and ignored by the OC Parks Director and her staff. Even Fish and Wildlife has issued a letter to staff indicating only minor change are needed to allow access.
I respectfully request a 15 minute phone call with you and an ongoing open line of communications with you personally to discuses this matter further as this is a festering problem.
It was the OC Board of supervisors that voted to pass the revised ordinance that effectively banned low power pedal assist bikes in OC Parks (except on a few paved byways) on the recommendation of the OC Parks director and staff under the guise of embracing AB1096 when in fact it was not done in the spirit of AB1096 at all. This was not a science based decision. According to the OC Parks director is was done because they have always been prohibited. This is not the case as AB1096 a year or so earlier carved out and delineated that low power pedal assist bikes are not to be considered motorized vehicles and permitted to go on any bike trail or path. Once the revised ordinances went into effect no e-bike signs went up and enforcement started with rangers citing and intimidating and kicking (mostly) older people with these low power pedal assist bikes out of the park. They are to be considered bikes. They are not motorcycles although OC Parks is treating them as such in saying they have always been banned. They have a very small elect motor that assists with a very limited amount of assist to help those that need the help to be able to ride a bike. Studies like this one have shown that they have the same environmental impact on the trails.
I have included hot links to the documents I have mentioned. Just click on them. Thank you for your time and help. I look forward to speaking with you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Steve Spiro, Executive Director
U.S. ARMY Veteran
E-mail: emtbassociation@gmail.com
619 307-9328 Phone
949 200-6748 Fax
30025 Alicia Parkway #201
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
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