NOVA Parks and Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad Regional Park supporters are teaming up with local law enforcement to encourage the safe use of e-bikes and other electric mobility devices.
After kicking off in Loudoun County on Aug. 1, the educational initiative will continue this month with free events along the 45-mile-long W&OD Trail hosted by the Fairfax County, Herndon and Vienna police departments.
“The W&OD Trail connects Northern Virginia’s communities, and we appreciate the tremendous partnership with our local law enforcement agencies to ensure those communities remain safe,” NOVA Parks Executive Director Justin Wilson said. “NOVA Parks, The Friends of the W&OD and our partner jurisdictions along the trail are working together closely to help ensure the safety of all trail users.”
Up first is a safety event led by the Fairfax County Police Department’s traffic division and community partnerships bureau. From 8-11 a.m. tomorrow (Sept. 4), officers will be stationed at the trail’s Town Center Parkway crossing in Reston and in a parking lot for the trail at 8016 N. Park Street in Dunn Loring.
While the FCPD could presumably flag violations of the W&OD Trail’s electric conveyances rules, the main goal of tomorrow’s event is to provide educational materials and raise public awareness of what kinds of devices are allowed and how to use them safely, according to the event page.
The Herndon Police Department will then hold an e-bike information session of its own with the town’s Parks and Recreation Department, NOVA Parks, the Friends of the W&OD and local store E-Bike Connections at the Herndon Community Center (814 Ferndale Avenue) at 6-7 p.m. next Wednesday, Sept. 9.
According to the Town of Herndon, the session will focus on e-bike safety, etiquette and related laws, concluding with a question-and-answer session. Attendees will also be given resources, such as route maps and information about local programs.
No advance registration is required, and Spanish language interpretation services will be available.
“As e-bikes become an everyday part of how our community moves, safety is essential,” Herndon Mayor Keven LeBlanc said in an Aug. 26 news release from the town. “Helping riders and parents understand the rules keeps our streets, trails, and shared use paths safe for everyone.”
Later this month, Herndon police will head east on the W&OD Trail for a Two Towns Bike Rodeo with their counterparts in Vienna. Also supported by NOVA Parks, the Friends of the W&OD and Trek Bikes, the event will take place at 138 Church Street NE on Sept. 26 from 9 a.m. to noon.
“This free, family event features a cone course, helmet fitting and rules of the road,” the bike rodeo description says. “Bring your own bicycle!”
The new W&OD Trail initiative follows a summer of e-bike safety awareness campaigns organized by localities across Northern Virginia in response to the growing popularity of electrically powered bicycles and scooters — and an accompanying uptick in complaints about speeding and reckless behavior.
Crashes involving electric bike and scooter riders have also become a concern. An e-bike rider in Dunn Loring was seriously injured in a crash in May, and a 9-year-old boy was killed after crashing into a minivan while riding an e-scooter in Herndon’s Highland Mews neighborhood on July 23.
Prior to that fatal crash, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors updated its ordinances to require anyone under 15 to wear a helmet while riding an e-bike, scooter or motorized skateboard. The mandate had previously only applied to traditional bicycles.
Virginia generally allows e-bikes in the same places as regular bicycles, but rules can vary based on their classification:
- Class 1: Pedal‑assist only, up to 20 mph
- Class 2: Throttle available (no pedaling required), up to 20 mph
- Class 3: Pedal‑assist, up to 28 mph
Class 1 and 2 e-bikes are allowed on the W&OD Trail, but NOVA Parks prohibits anything exceeding a top speed of 20 mph. That includes faster electric dirt bikes that can reach speeds of up to 40 mph, which have become popular among some younger riders but aren’t legally permitted on roads in Virginia.
NOVA Parks, which owns and manages the W&OD Trail, said this summer that it has noticed a recent surge in complaints about unsafe behavior on the trail, including issues involving electric and motorized devices.
In addition to the upcoming events in Fairfax County, the regional park authority says it’s partnering with the Arlington County Police Department on an e-bike safety event that will be announced soon.
