LaSalle County property committee votes to recommend ban on bicycles and e-bikes from park trails

The LaSalle County Property Committee voted March 27 to direct staff to draft rules banning bicycles and e-bikes from county park trails and return the language to the committee and then to the full county board for final approval.

The committee took public comment before deliberations. Tony Troyer, identifying himself as a representative of the Horseman's Council of Illinois, told the committee that allowing e-bikes on shared trails “raises the level of risk” for equestrians because motor-assist bikes can travel places pedal-only bicycles could not and can surprise horses. “This activity, if it goes forward, makes it easier for an e bike…to go on these trails,” Troyer said, and he asked members to vote against permitting e-bikes on the trails or, alternatively, to provide separate trails and specific rules for e-bikes.

Ken (parks staff) described trail conditions at the county parks, saying the site includes mowed grass-top trails, rough gravel gullies, blind corners and steep drop-offs that reduce visibility "most of the year." He and other committee members said those features make the existing trails unsuitable for sharing with many types of bicycles and expressed skepticism that limited staff could effectively enforce speed or equipment restrictions. Committee members asked that any draft ordinance explicitly preserve accessibility for assisted devices used by people with disabilities.

After discussion of enforcement challenges and trail geometry, the committee chair moved to ban all bicycles and e-bikes from the county park trails (committee members noted bicycles would still be allowed on main roads). The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; the committee instructed staff to prepare formal rule language for review at a special property-committee meeting before moving it to the full county board.

The committee did not adopt final ordinance text at the March 27 meeting and left several specifics unresolved: the draft will need to define which classes of e-bikes are banned, specify any exceptions (for example, for mobility-assist devices), set enforcement mechanisms, and list penalties or civil remedies. Committee members repeatedly noted enforcement capacity is limited—Ken said park maintenance staffing is small—and asked the drafting staff to consider how restrictions would be monitored and enforced.

Next steps: staff will draft the proposed rule language reflecting the committee’s direction, circulate the draft to committee members for comment, schedule a property-committee review prior to the next full county-board meeting, and present the proposal to the full board for a final vote.