“A coalition of advocacy groups sued the National Park Service today in an attempt to restore a ban on e-bikes in national parks.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is a response to an order signed in August by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. It required the park service to regulate e-bikes — electric bicycles — the same way as human-powered bikes.
“The exploding popularity of mountain bikes was already creating a serious problem for wildlife and non-mechanized recreationists, and in one fell swoop the National Park Service increased the problem many-fold by turning all bike trails into motor vehicle trails,” said George Nickas, executive director of Wilderness Watch, one of the groups that filed the suit. It was joined by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), the Marin Conservation League, the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin, Save Our Seashore and three individuals.”