eBikes

Electric assisted bicycles, or e-Bikes, are becoming more common across the United States. As e-Bikes have become more popular, they have been appearing in National Parks with greater frequency. In August 2019, the U.S. Department of the Interior issued Policy Memorandum 19-01, which addresses e-Bike use within National Parks.

Acadia National Park, concerned with the safety implications and impact on visitor experience, has had to implement policies within a short time period. Acadia National Park’s current policy is to allow Class 1 e-Bikes wherever traditional bikes are permitted. Acadia National Park still lacks data regarding e-bike use needed to implement an effective policy.  WPI research teams began their study of eBikes in 2020. The focus of the research was on the prevalence and behaviors of e-Bike users in Acadia National Park to determine effective policies for e-Bike use within the park.

For the past three years, WPI research teams have monitored biking activity using strategically placed webcams, data loggers, on the ground observations, and access to big data with pedestrian and bike tracking data.  Through analysis of the data,  the WPI research teams have begun to identify trends in behaviors and demographics among e-Bikers, traditional bikers, and pedestrians. WPI has developed a series of recommendations for future studies to monitor biking activity and eBike policy in Acadia National Park.