Trail Riders!!! Your letters and/or attendance are needed at this Meeting!
On Monday, April 8th, 3:00 -5:00 PM in the Planning Commission Hearing Room in Santa Barbara 123 East Anapamu St. in Santa Barbara, the County Riding and Hiking Trails Advisory Committee, or CRAHTAC, will discuss E-bike use on County trails and where their use is appropriate. Apparently the E-Bike subcommittee formed in December is at an impasse and will be asking for suggestions from all committee members. The Agenda is available below.
The County of Santa Barbara is currently considering allowing E-bike use on County trails through the current development of the County Wide Recreation Master Plan. At recent CRAHTAC meetings, members of a local Mountain Bike organization and E-Bike proponents were pushing for E-Bikes everywhere (on all trails) and they will be a powerful force to be reckoned with. This move would deter more equestrians from riding local trails with safety concerns stemming from even more fast-moving and silent motorized bicycles (or as most of us call them - electric motorcycles) on trails never designed for their use. E-Bikes have their place as transportation in cities and around town, but on rural trails it just doesn't make sense.
A subcommittee was formed at CRAHTAC’s December 11, 2023, meeting to develop a County-wide E-Bike policy. At that meeting the Santa Ynez Valley Riders, also representing SAVE Santa Barbara Equestrian Trails, submitted the letter below to CRAHTAC (dated December 7, 2023) with safety concerns, a history of E-Bike legislation and other actions at the Federal and State levels, and applicable Santa Barbara County Code, with a strong suggestion that existing County policies, ordinances and County Code be retained regarding E-Bike trail use in the Recreation Master Plan. These existing County regulations specifically limit where E-Bikes are allowed in the County, and have restrictions in place specifically for the Cachuma Recreation Area, that includes Live Oak Equestrian Trail. State Bill, AB 1096 pertaining to E-Bike accessibility, allows local agencies through local ordinance to prohibit E-bikes on equestrian and/or hiking trails.
We encourage you to attend the meeting if you can, either in person or via Zoom and speak up about your preferences and/or send a letter with your comments and CONCERNS. A sample citizen letter is provided in Word below for your use.
Please edit the letter as you like and submit it by the deadline. Your comment letter must be received no later than Thursday, April 4th at 5:00 pm via email to George Amoon, CRAHTAC coordinator at george@gkaconsulting.com to be considered by CRAHTAC. They’re asking that your letter be in .pdf format, so if you know how to do that, please do, if not just send it in any way! Your comments and letters help guide the discussion as they discuss recommendations for an E-bike policy for our County trails.
Thank you to all in advance for reading this and getting involved! Now is the time to speak up. Equestrians should all be concerned about motorized E-bikes being allowed on our trails without criteria and prohibitions to ensure our trails are safe.
Happy Trails!!!
Click on this document for instructions to join the meeting on Monday, April 8, 2024 at 3:00 PM via Zoom:
Click on this document for your Citizen Letter. Please edit the letter as you like and submit it by the deadline. (Thursday, April 4th at 5:00 pm via email to George Amoon, CRAHTAC coordinator at george@gkaconsulting.com)
Click on the document below to read a copy of the letter the Santa Ynez Valley Riders, also representing SAVE Santa Barbara Equestrian Trails, submitted to CRAHTAC at their December 7, 2023 meeting. This letter includes equestrian safety concerns, a history of E-Bike legislation and other actions at the Federal and State levels, and applicable Santa Barbara County Code. It summarizes what E-bike limitations are already on the books in the County of Santa Barbara and a brief history of State and Federal regulations as well.