Monthly Archives: September 2018

Oregon Environmental Council Highlights TCNF E-Bike Booklet

The Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) recently published an article called “E-Bikes: Rules of the Road & Why We Love ‘Em.” Their post highlights the benefits, joys, and convenience of incorporating an e-bike into one’s daily life. They include testimonials from people who use e-bikes for family travel, to go camping or to keep doctor’s appointments, and as an alternative to commuting by car or motorcycle.

The OEC’s post also linked to TCNF’s newly-released free booklet on the rights and responsibilities of e-bike riders—E-Bike Rights: A Legal Guide for E-Bike Riders—which you can read more about here.

The floating section of Portland's Eastbank Esplanade, credit to Wikipedia User Cacophony

E-Bikes And E-Scooters On The Springwater, Esplanade And Other Portland Parks

The recent prevalence of e-bikes on Portland streets, and the even more recent influx of e-scooters, has increased the public’s curiosity about state and local law governing the devices. Many Portlanders now know that e-bikes and e-scooters are prohibited on sidewalks statewide, users of both must be at least 16 years old, and e-scooter users must wear helmets, but not e-bike riders. (For a comprehensive look at Oregon e-bike law, see our firm’s legal guide here.) A lesser known provision of Portland city code came to my attention recently in an article by the Oregonian’s Lizzy Acker, which included the following statement:

I emailed Portland Bureau of Transportation spokesperson John Brady on Friday to ask him some question about the scooters and he informed me that city code does not allow scooters in city parks, including the esplanade and the Springwater Corridor, so I can’t recommend you take this route home.

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