The Milwaukee County Board is poised to approve a new 15 mph speed limit for all county trails, including the Oak Leaf Trail that includes segments in Wauwatosa, in an attempt to address concerns about dangerous speeds on e-bikes.
With a vote scheduled for Oct. 1, the Wisconsin Bike Federation has issued a statement objecting to the new speed limit, saying a better standard would be to require "reasonable and prudent" speeds without setting a hard limit.
Bike Fed Assistant Director Jake Newborn spoke at a Sept. 29 committee meeting on the proposal, and the Bike Fed said it also has brought up its concerns directly with County Parks staff.
"After hearing from many trail users, we expressed concerns about the trail-wide blanket proposal, as opposed to addressing areas of congestion and concern on the trail, as well as the uncertain enforcement strategy," the Bike Fed said in its statement.
The organization cited three specific concerns: the potential for enforcement that disproportionately targets low-income bike riders and people of color, lack of data to support the speed limit and the expectation that cyclists know their speed when not all bikes have speedometers.