MTBs and Vehicle Codes

[singletrackmack]

Have to say mountain biking from the early 90's to now I have never ever had any part of a vehicle code have anything to do with me mountain biking. Maybe it is just me, but vehicle codes have no place in a discussion when talking about mountain biking since there is nothing in them that applies to us and our sport.

So, what does a vehicle code have to do with mountain biking and why would the vehicle code all of the sudden have an impact on our sport if it has never ever effected us in any way before?

 

[life behind bars]

Motor vehicle code for the most part has nothing to do with mountain biking. Some e-bike advocates have tried to couple them because the codes are broadly lenient towards e-bikes but it's a red herring.

 

[singletrackmack]

You say "for the most part", but that would mean that there is a part that has to do with mountain biking. There is absolutely nothing in a vehicle code that has to do with mountain biking that I know of. Is there a part of a vehicle code that you have found that pertains to anything we do while mountain biking?

 

[life behind bars]

There are always exceptions and I would expect any to be found in California and how they implement vehicle code in shared use areas. No actual examples though.

 

[Klurejr]

Because some state Vehicle Codes define what Pedal Assist eBikes are, some States parks reference those definitions when setting rules and regulations for eBike access.

 

[Moe Ped]

It varies from state to state but if it's public land (and not federal) the state's vehicle code applies. Can even includes horses and oxen.

A tiny portion of California's is this:

"21113. (a) A person shall not drive a vehicle or animal, or stop, park, or leave standing a vehicle or animal, whether attended or unattended, upon the driveways, paths, parking facilities, or the grounds of any public school, state university, state college, unit of the state park system, county park, municipal airport, rapid transit district, transit development board, transit district, public transportation agency, county transportation commission created pursuant to Section 130050 of the Public Utilities Code, joint powers agency operating or managing a commuter rail system, or any property under the direct control of the legislative body of a municipality, or a state, county, or hospital district institution or building, or an educational institution exempted, in whole or in part, from taxation, or any harbor improvement district or harbor district formed pursuant to Part 2 (commencing with Section 5800) or Part 3 (commencing with Section 6000) of Division 8 of the Harbors and Navigation Code, a district organized pursuant to Part 3 (commencing with Section 27000) of Division 16 of the Streets and Highways Code, or state grounds served by the Department of the California Highway Patrol, or any property under the possession or control of a housing authority formed pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 34240) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 24 of the Health and Safety Code, except with the permission of, and upon and subject to any condition or regulation that may be imposed by, the legislative body of the municipality, or the governing board or officer of the public school, state university, state college, county park, municipal airport, rapid transit district, transit development board, transit district, public transportation agency, county transportation commission, joint powers agency operating or managing a commuter rail system, or state, county, or hospital district institution or building, or educational institution, or harbor district, or a district organized pursuant to Part 3 (commencing with Section 27000) of Division 16 of the Streets and Highways Code, or housing authority, or the Director of Parks and Recreation regarding units of the state park system or the state agency with jurisdiction over the grounds served by the Department of the California Highway Patrol."

The rest can be read here.

 

[singletrackmack]

So you are saying state parks changed the language on access rules when ebikes were added to the vehicle code? I live in California and am at least familiar (but not an expert) with the state park regs here and there were no changes made to reference anything in the vehicle code when discussing trail access. In fact, there is nothing I have ever seen in the cali state park regs that mention anything about bicycles and the vehicle code. The only place the vehicle code is referenced in the state park regs is under the OHV portion. So it applies to OHV trails, but not anywhere else as far as I can tell.

Never had anything to do with us mountain biking before and not referenced in state park regs with regards to bicycling. So why are we talking about a vehicle code on a mtb website?

 

[mtnbikej]

The vehicle code does not matter when we are talking about being out on a singletrack or MUT out in a county or state park.

 

[Moe Ped]

I'm no expert either but I do take the time to read the actual laws; the only changes brought by AB-1096 to the CVC 21113 is the addition of the words "electric bicycles" in (f) and (g). The rest of the code pertaining bicycles, horses and oxen (animals) has been around for decades.

Perhaps you missed it, the changes to the CA Vehicle Code is what brought e-bikes to CA State Parks. And the CVC is what allows them to be banned in State Parks (trails and all); pretty important consideration if you don't want to see them.

 

[Barryboy]

Like all things relating to ebike access in the US, it all depends. In Colorado, the vehicle code has no bearing on singletrack trails or State Parks, it only applies to bike paths. The state parks operate independently, as well as all managers of non motorized singletrack, where it's mostly county, city parks and USFS/BLM.