#MiddleburyCT #EBikes #Greenway
By MARJORIE NEEDHAM
E-bike numbers have been increasing in Middlebury. So have the numbers of complaints about them, particularly when they are being ridden on the Greenway. After a June 24, 2026, public meeting during which many residents expressed their observations and concerns, the Parks and Recreation Commission at its July 7 meeting, passed a motion to have First Selectwoman Jennifer Mahr draft an ordinance for e-bike use on the Greenway.
Mahr announced on July 22, “An ordinance could set a speed limit, impose penalties for illegal operation of Class III and motor-driven cycles, and further clarify what is or isn’t allowed on the Greenway.” She said work on the ordinance would begin shortly and there would be plenty of opportunity for public comment on it.
For those who missed the June 24 public meeting, we offer the following meeting summary that includes lists of issues and possible solutions that emerged during the meeting. This meeting, hosted by the Middlebury Parks and Recreation Commission, brought together local residents with Parks and Recreation Commission, Greenway Committee and Police Commission members.
Basic Information
Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Carolanne Browne said discussion about e-bikes started after Parks and Recreation Department Director Betsy Anderson got multiple phone calls about e-bikes in September 2025. Some older pedestrians on the Greenway felt they were put in unsafe situations when they were knocked off balance by e-bike riders, fell, and needed assistance from passersby.
She said the Greenway was established as a seasonal walkway to enjoy spring, summer and fall, and residents have been doing so for many years. It has been enjoyed by those walking, jogging, pushing baby carriages, walking dogs and bicycling. More recently, she said, e-bikes have become very popular, but the Greenway has always said “no motorized vehicles.”
Browne said the discussion first was about whether or not e-bikes should be allowed on the Greenway, but it expanded to include the safety of e-bike riders and where they can safely ride. However, she said, the safety of those walking on the Greenway and taking their young children there as a safe place to walk or ride their bicycles also has to be considered.
Browne explained the three classes of e-bikes. That e-bike classification information can be found on page 1 of the July 2026 issue of the Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer and online at www.bee-news.com/2026/07/17/e-bike-numbers-grow.
Former First Selectman Edward B. St. John gave a brief history of the Greenway. He noted motorized vehicles have never been allowed on the Greenway. He said when the town developed its park system – Ledgewood Park, Bristol Park, and Meadowview Park – the old trolley right of way that ran from Waterbury all the way into Woodbury was seen as a way to offer a safe way for residents to travel among the neighborhoods. “… This was a way to connect those, and one of the most important components of that was to get our walkers to be able to access our parks without driving, to let our bicyclers and our kids have access to our parks without traveling on Route 64.” Although it was not intended for motorized vehicles, he said he thought it would be a shame not to let kids use it for e-bikes. He said the Greenway was built for residents to enjoy.
Issues
Most of the issues raised by attendees involved e-bike rider behavior, but one adult and two youths who attended spoke up about how people are treating e-bike riders. A mother of two e-bike riders, one 15 and one 13, said an adult walker tried to shove her 15-year-old off his e-bike. She said her kids had been “swerved at, spit at and sworn at.” She said some kids are acting inappropriately, but all the kids are being painted with the same brush. Facebook posts aren’t helping, she said, and she wanted people to know those posts are creating vigilantes, adult bullies who are coming after kids and creating a very unsafe environment. She said her older child has come home terrified at times.
A mother of a 13-year-old bicycle rider who is friendly with e-bike riders said she’s noticed a really negative vibe towards the e-bike riders. She said they are being labeled menaces and punks, yet look at all the adults driving cars over the speed limit. She said cars make the road she lives on like a raceway, and speed limits here need to be enforced.
Two youths who attended spoke up. One said an adult had tried to shove him while he was on his bike. They both spoke of adults shouting at them and shooting the finger at them.
Adults who attended mostly agreed it was great riders were out recreating in the fresh air instead of sitting at home glued to a computer screen or a cell phone, but they also noted the following:
- Kids popping wheelies so high watchers were scared they were going to fall over.
- Kids on e-bikes riding faster than people in cars and clocked at 38 miles per hour.
- Kids driving recklessly with no identification on the bikes – “If I had to register my dog, we need to register your e-bikes.”
- A doctor noted the part of your brain that tells you whether something is a good or bad idea isn’t fully developed at their ages.
- The doctor also noted that, even at 20 mph, there isn’t much between riders and anything they may hit and they can get a traumatic brain injury or even lose a limb in an accident.
- Kids riding e-bikes while holding hands.
- One rider almost hit a car because they were riding one-handed while talking on a cell phone.
Challenges
The major challenge before the town right now is whether or not to allow e-bikes on the Greenway and, if so, under what conditions. A challenge inherent in the Middlebury Greenway is that it is narrow. Attendees said it measures 4 to 6 feet wide but the Cheshire Bike Path is much wider. An online search said the Cheshire path has an average width of 10 feet.
Signage on the Greenway says who may use it, but not how they may use it. There are no posted “rules of the road” informing users of Greenway etiquette. Both bicyclists and walkers need to stay as far to the right as possible except when passing, and bicyclists need to announce their passing with “On your left” or a bell to avoid startling walkers. Dogs need to be kept on a tight leash, and parents need to watch that young children on bicycles also stay to the right.
Possible Solutions
With a goal of finding solutions that work for both pedestrians and e-bike readers, the following suggestions were offered:
- A good start would be to show kids how to ride safely.
- Hold a bike rodeo so bikes can be inspected and registered and riders learn the rules and regulations.
- Have fewer regulations. Don’t require people to register their e-bikes. Instead, regulate the speed and deal with irresponsible riders.
- Educate the parents, the children and community.
- A regular Greenway walker suggested the Greenway be limited to walkers only.
- Another person said banning e-bikes on the Greenway is not the way to go because people driving above the speed limit make local roads unsafe.
- A third person said it’s our duty and obligation to give them a place to ride their bikes … If people don’t like it (e-bikes on the Greenway), don’t walk on it. Leave the kids there.
- Noting the Greenway is narrow, with widths ranging between 4 feet and 6 feet, think long term with a vision of widening the Greenway.
- Create larger shoulders on town roads so riders will be safer there.
- Be sure Greenway signage makes the rules clear and educate people.
- Find a designated space for e-bikes just as designated space for skateboards was found at Ledgewood Park. This might be possible at Bristol Park, which is underutilized.
- Using bridle trails was mentioned, but they are state trails and it was believed the state wouldn’t allow that.
- Teach all Greenway users proper protocol, like where walkers should be on the Greenway and having riders call out “On your left” or “On your right” to warn walkers before they pass them.
- Have a police resource officer out on the Greenway.
If you have concerns about e-bikes on the Greenway, be sure to share your thoughts when the proposed ordinance for e-bike use on the Greenway has been formulated and is put out for public comment.
