News Photo by Mike Gonzalez An e-bike from Electronic Bike Company stands on display at Harborside Tint Company on U.S.-23 on Monday.

HARRISVILLE — A proposed land use change from the Michigan Department of Natural Resource could expand the operation of some motorized e-bikes on state park-managed lands that could go into effect as early as this spring.

Eric Ostrander, park supervisor at Harrisville State Park, said that the change would be beneficial for park-goers and that he’s seen many e-bikes used within the park.

“If someone has an accessibility issue they can also use e-bikes – in that sense, it’s like a mobility vehicle,” Ostrander said. “The mindset here is that they’re just trying to expand ways people can use these trails. A lot of our campers love them. They like to use them, especially because if you’re on one far corner of the campground you can get on your e-bike and head to the other corner.”

According to a statement by the DNR, 3,000 miles of state park-managed trails would be affected by the proposal, with changes being viewable on an interactive map on the DNR’s website at michigan.gov/dnr. Signage indicating when e-bikes are allowed would also be placed at trailheads if the proposal goes through.

“Our staff will sometimes ride bikes and we don’t have to go that far, but I do wonder if there’s enough value for us to have an e-bike for the staff,” Ostrander said. “Not everybody can ride a bike for a long distance, so I kind of look at it like a mobility device that can assist us to get to places.”

A local shop called Harborside Tint Company on U.S.-23 started selling e-bikes from Electronic Bike Company, a U.S.-based bike manufacturer, in late 2022.

For the past year, Harborside worker Josh Duby said the company sold about 25 e-bikes last year and has already sold two within the past few weeks as spring comes close.

“We haven’t sold as many because our price range on this is more like $1,500 to $2,000,” Duby said. “We have a lot of trails around here that you can ride on and the e-bikes have gotten more and more popular, especially among people without licenses and elderly people who like a nice long bike ride. Now that the state parks are looking to open up their land for more e-bikes, I think it’s a good thing.”

A public survey about the proposed change is open now at research.net/r/DNR-E-BIKE and continues until March 31. Results will be shared on April 11 at the Michigan Natural Resources Commission meeting.

The policy change will go before DNR Director Scott Bowen at the commission’s May meeting and any changes will immediately go into effect afterwards.

“I think the benefit to this is this ability for people to put in their public input,” Ostrander said.

The current Michigan law states that Class 1 e-bikes, which are pedal-assisted and can go up to 20 miles per hour, are allowed on paved trails of gravel or asphalt. The new change would allow Class 1 e-bikes to be used on natural, dirt trails open to bicycles.

The change would also allow Class 2 e-bikes, which have a throttle along with going up to 20 miles per hour and being pedal-assisted, to operate on paved trails and state park-managed natural trails for mobility purposes. Currently, Class 2 e-bikes are allowed only with a permit and on natural trails.

The proposed expansion does not apply to wildlife or start forest land trails, even if a trail is open to bicycles. Class 3 e-bikes with pedal assistance and a maximum speed of 28 miles per hour would still remain prohibited on state-managed land if the policy went forward.