Don Amador at Carnegie SVRA Trailhead
For eMTBers who are looking for legal off-road trail
opportunities in the S.F Bay Area, they may want to check out Carnegie State
Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) located near Livermore, CA.
Entrance to Carnegie SVRA
Currently in CA, eMTB use on dirt trails is basically
restricted to OHV routes on local, state, and federal lands unless the managing
agency is allowing or has authorized eMTB use on native-surfaced routes within
its specific jurisdiction.
One of the Off-Road Trails at Carnegie SVRA
Fortunately for those eMTBers who live near a SVRA, they
can find legal riding opportunities of various difficulty or challenge on which
to test their trail skills or the capability of their eMTB.
George MacDougall (L) and Don Amador (R) at Trailhead
According to California State Parks, the 9 SVRAs are OHV
parks which are operated by the OHMVR Division of California State Parks. Each
SVRA has an operational program which provides (in most locations) the
following services:
- Trails, tracks, and other OHV Recreation opportunities
- Restrooms, camping, shade ramadas, water
- OHV parts store
- Public safety, including law enforcement, first aid, and search and rescue
- Maintenance including repair and maintenance of OHV trails, buildings, equipment and public use facilities
- Interpretive and educational activities and publications promoting safe and responsible OHV recreation
- Resource management designed to sustain OHV opportunities, protects and enhances wildlife habitat, erosion control, revegetation, etc.
LINK to CA SVRA SYSTEM
Don Amador, President at Quiet Warrior Racing/Consulting,
states, “Riding our Atom Lynx 27.5 Pro at Carnegie was both a fun and
educational experience for me. The
type-1 pedal assist eMTB provided this old guy with enough boost to make it up
some fairly steep grades while the suspension provided a plush/stable ride.”
“Since 1980, I have spent many a day hill-climbing and
trail riding at the Park on a variety of dirt-bikes. Riding the eMTB offered a somewhat different
yet similar experience of joy and exuberance.
While various land agencies continue to review their policies on
allowing eMTBs on dirt trails, I think it is important for the eMTB community to
realize they have some high-quality off-road routes at SVRAs.” Amador
concludes.
According to the CVC 24016 “Green Stickers” are not
required at this time for eMTBs to operate on OHV routes.
"CVC 24016.
(a) An electric
bicycle described in subdivision (a) of Section 312.5 shall meet the following
criteria:
(1) Comply with the equipment and manufacturing
requirements for bicycles adopted by the United States Consumer Product Safety
Commission (16 C.F.R. 1512.1, et seq.).
(2) Operate in a manner so that the electric motor is
disengaged or ceases to function when the brakes are applied, or operate in a
manner such that the motor is engaged through a switch or mechanism that, when
released or activated, will cause the electric motor to disengage or cease to
function.
(b) A person operating an electric bicycle is not subject
to the provisions of this code relating to financial responsibility, driver’s
licenses, registration, and license plate requirements, and an electric bicycle
is not a motor vehicle."
However, to operate an eMTB at Carnegie you will be
charged a $5.00 day use fee.
QWR continues its belief that electric bicycles are here
to stay and are becoming an important transportation and/or recreation vehicle
for many who want to get out and enjoy the great outdoors.
QWR also believes it is important for land agencies to
look for opportunities to try pilot projects as a way to gain insights into
this new and evolving outdoor activity.
One just example of a new project or test case comes from
the BLM in Idaho. (see article below)
QWR strongly supports the solution-based efforts of California
State Parks and other land agencies to authorize high-quality eMTB trail opportunities
on public lands.
# # #
*QWR wants to thank
our good friend, George MacDougall, for riding with us today. George is a retired grants administrator for
the CA Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division and an avid SxS
enthusiast, dual-sport rider, and eMTBer.
