Join panelists from across Vermont to learn about current laws and policies, trends in use, challenges in management, and best practices for developing e-bike policies for your municipality or organization.
The session will begin with a brief overview, but will focus on sharing and learning from the experiences of the panelists in developing e-bike policies and managing their use from a state, municipal, organization, and advocacy perspective. There will also be significant time for questions from the audience, so please come ready to engage!
Learning Objectives:
Describe current e-bike laws, policies, and use trends in Vermont. Participants will identify key regulations and emerging trends that influence how e-bikes are managed on trails and in communities.
Evaluate common challenges and approaches to e-bike management. Participants will compare experiences and strategies from state, municipal, organizational, and advocacy perspectives to better understand different approaches to e-bike access and management.
Identify best practices for developing effective e-bike policies. Participants will apply lessons from panelists and real-world examples to inform equitable, practical, and sustainable e-bike policies for their own municipality or organization.
Presenters:
Nick Bennette, Executive Director, Vermont Mountain Bike Association
Nick Bennette (He/Him) has been the Executive Director of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association (VMBA) since April 2021. Originally from Missouri, Nick obtained a PhD from Princeton University before spending nearly a decade consulting for foundations, companies, and non-profit organizations, focusing on environmental sustainability. Unsurprisingly, Nick is an avid mountain biker and spent many years volunteering with the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance in Washington State before moving to Vermont to lead VMBA. VMBA deploys more than 25,000 volunteer hours annually to steward over 900 miles of trail across 28 Chapters, often engaging professional trail builders on larger, more complex projects. Nick continues to be an active volunteer trail steward and can often be found in the woods with his bike, tools, or black lab, Ahsoka.
Adam Matth, Director of Recreation and Parks, City of South Burlington
Adam Matth serves as Director of Recreation for South Burlington, leading programs, events, and facilities that promote active, connected living. He brings a diverse background in athletics, including experience with the Vermont Lake Monsters and the Houston Astros, as well as collegiate athletics at the University of Vermont (UVM). Adam is committed to expanding inclusive, accessible recreation opportunities for all ages and abilities. With strengths in program development and community partnerships, he works to grow offerings within and beyond South Burlington while adapting to the community’s changing, increasingly younger demographic.
Val Cyr, Communications Specialist, Local Motion
Val is a lifelong commuter, former bike racer, and now long-distance bike adventurer. They started work in the bike industry as a teen in a bike shop, and now work with Local Motion advocating for safe, accessible, and fun spaces for everyone to bike, walk, and roll! Val is a firm believer that e-bikes are the future - getting more folks outside and exercising, and reducing car trips.
Claire Polfus, Recreation Program Manager, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation
Claire works with a wide variety of recreation partners and agency staff to support and improve outdoor recreation across Vermont. She has work experience in recreation management, communications, and program development as well a BA in Environmental Studies from Middlebury College and an MS in Natural Resources from the Ecological Planning program at UVM. She started working with FPR in 2022. When she’s not working, she particularly enjoys riding, gliding, and tromping through the woods, tending her garden, drinking strong coffee, and reading good books.