Gov. Mike Dunleavy has vetoed a bill defining electric-assisted bicycles the same as regular bicycles — which passed the Legislature by a combined vote of 57-2 — because “it creates unnecessary bureaucracy by regulating recreational activity,” according to a spokesperson.
House Bill 8, sponsored by Rep. Ashley Carrick, a first-term Fairbanks Democrat, sought to revise state code to allow most e-bikes to ride anywhere a regular bike is allowed such as roads, bike lanes and multi-use trails. The bill also said owners of e-bikes generating less than 750 watts of power would be waived from being required to register them with the Division of Motor Vehicles.
Alaska, one of four states that have no references to e-bikes at all in statute, would have become the 40th state to pass legislation similar to Carrick’s bill. Similar bills were introduced during the previous two legislative sessions in Alaska, but failed to pass.
There was little legislative controversy during the most recent session, as the House passed the bill by a 39-1 vote and the Senate by an 18-1 vote. But Shannon Mason, a spokesperson for Dunleavy, stated in an email July 24 that the governor felt such policy should be made at the local level.
“Governor Dunleavy vetoed this bill because it creates unnecessary bureaucracy by regulating recreational activity,” Mason wrote. “If people want these types of activities regulated, the governor believes the decision should take place at the local level, where communities can decide for themselves what they permit and prohibit. Alaska comprises of a wide range of diverse communities with different trails, activities, and desires for regulation.”
Carrick, in an interview July 24, said the bill allowed local governments some control of the definition of e-bikes and where they can be used.
Carrick said she is hoping for a possible veto override by the Legislature when it reconvenes in January, since the measure passed by far more than the two-thirds vote necessary to overturn a veto.
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