What’s Happening

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NOVA Parks) will vote on proposed regulations for use of the W&OD Trail at its upcoming Board of Directors meeting. While WABA supports the rationale for many of the changes, some of the proposed regulations miss the mark. 

We are encouraging the NOVA Parks Board and staff to revise two key provisions before adoption: the prohibition on Class 3 electric bicycles (2.6.1) and the classification of bicycles as ‘vehicles’ required to obey all traffic signage (Section 2.4 and Definition 1). We’re also calling on NOVA Parks to consult with the community members—us—that use the trail and would be subject to these new regulations.

Background

We are sympathetic to the main issue NOVA Parks is trying to address: riders on trail going too fast, often (but not always) on an electric-powered bike-shaped or other micromobility device, not signalling and acting like they own the place. We’ve certainly heard the complaints, NOVA Parks has definitely heard the complaints, and you’ve maybe even made such a complaint.

NOVA Parks, like many of our regional trail managers, is understandably trying to crack down on such behaviors and seeking solutions to ensure trails like the W&OD remain safe and accessible to all users. We agree that clearer rules on what devices are and are not allowed along with shared expectations around riding behavior are crucial. 

The amorphous and growing category of bike-shaped e-motos, e-dirt bikes, and hyperscooters—devices with power output and top speeds rivaling mopeds or motorcycles—should reasonably be excluded from our trails. But legal e-bikes, including Class 3s, which are expanding access to bicycling and actively reducing the number of cars on our roads, should not be lumped in together. 

While a rider of a Class 3 e-bike is capable of exceeding the (written but not publicized) 20mph speed limit on the W&OD…so can many riders of conventional bikes. A blanket prohibition would close the trail to a huge swath of riders who every day use myriad Class 3 e-bikes to commute, recreate, and transport their families, or expose them to potential prosecution and a $250 fine. 

How local law enforcement will even begin to differentiate between the various classes of e-bikes and other e-devices without setting up a checkpoint is a mystery; should enforcement occur, history has shown it is likely to be biased and uneven.

Additionally, NOVA Parks is seeking to criminalize rolling through the (arguably too many) stop signs at trail crosswalks. While this may seem reasonable on its face—a stop sign should mean stop, right?—it clashes with both Virginia law and common sense. By law, bicyclists on a trail and encountering a crossing have the same rights and responsibilities as a pedestrian, i.e. you may proceed without fully stopping if/when safe to do so. And along the busy W&OD, it is the general expectation and common practice for vehicles to stop and for trail users to slow but proceed without stopping. Subjecting trail users to potential prosecution and a $250 fine doesn’t make trail crossings safer, and just doesn’t make sense.

Our Take

If excessive speed is the issue on trail, NOVA Parks would be better served by establishing and communicating via signage reasonable speed limits. And if trail crossings are proving to be chaotic, NOVA Parks should continue working with local jurisdictions to reengineer intersections to improve sight lines and slow vehicle speeds…or eliminate the most dangerous crossings altogether with bridges! Overly broad bans on common devices and common practices doesn’t make anyone safer, and is likely to alienate a key constituency that’s proven to be a valuable partner. 

The bicycling community would welcome collaborative study and discussion with staff and other trail stakeholders on how we can best maintain a safe and welcoming W&OD. Because the current proposal, seemingly crafted without bicyclists’ input, doesn’t fully cut it.