CLEVELAND, Ohio — A rider on a Class 1 or Class 2 electric bicycle can use the motor on Cleveland Metroparks’ paved all-purpose trails. Take that same bike into a Lakewood city park and the motor has to be shut off.
The rules differ elsewhere, too. Summit Metro Parks permits Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes on multipurpose trails. On state park land, those same classes can use paved and shared-use paths, while only Class 1 e-bikes are generally allowed on designated natural-surface mountain-bike trails without additional authorization.
Those differences are possible because Ohio law establishes statewide e-bike classifications and baseline riding rules while allowing local governments and agencies that control trails to regulate where the bikes can be used…