Our home in the Black Hills of South Dakota was near the top of a hill. That meant that when we walked from our home the end of the walk included a climb up a steep hill. Often we would choose to walk somewhere that involved a short drive from our home. Here in our rental in Mount Vernon, there are several options for walking that don’t involve quite as much steepness. We walk every day and we don’t mind climbing a few hills, but some days we prefer to walk on level ground. Mount Vernon is a very walkable community, with numerous public paths that allow us to walk from our home down town and to connect with several different parks around the city.

I don’t know the rules for vehicles on the paths, but bikes, scooters and walkers all share the paths without trouble. For the most part those riding bikes are courteous, using a bell or their voice to warn when approaching from the rear and riding to the side of the path to allow room for pedestrians to walk.

I have wondered, however, if there is an increased traffic problem coming for the public paths. More and more we are seeing motorized vehicles on the path. I don’t know the official rules in the city ordinances, but it seems that electric bikes and scooters are generally accepted as appropriate vehicles for the paths. Although there are places where there are signs that say “no motorized vehicles,” the riders of e-bikes and scooters don’t seem to consider their vehicles to be motorized.

It is interesting to me to see people riding one wheel scooters to speed their walking. I guess I’ve never felt the need to go fast when walking and don’t quite understand the attraction of the scooters, but I see more and more people riding them. They look like there might be a learning curve to making them go and keeping one’s balance, but the people we see riding them on the paths seem to have mastered basic balance and glide along at a pretty good rate of speed. I guess the devices allow them to make longer distances in sorter amounts of time and get around without the hassle of having to park a car.

I am also intrigued by electric bikes. I’ve ridden an e-bike once and enjoyed the experience. The one I rode belongs to a friend and we rode all around their neighborhood. The bike made going up steep hills a breeze, assisting my pedaling and multiplying the effect of my legs. I didn’t need to shift to a lower gear to go up a big hill as fast as I was going on level ground without the assistance of the motor. However, I see people on the paths all the time who are not pedaling at all. They are simply riding and their bikes are going quite a bit faster than conventional bikes without motors.

On several occasions I have seen people riding e-bikes on city streets and keeping up with traffic. I followed one biker who was maintaining 30 miles per hour riding down the center of the lane on a city street in a manner very similar to a motorcycle.

At what point does a motorized bicycle stop being a bicycle and become a motorcycle? I doubt that the city ordinances have come up with that definition. I don’t see license plates on e-bikes, and I doubt that the riders have passed the state motorcycle driving test. On the footpaths, they are both faster and heavier that conventional bikes, meaning that the potential for serious accidents is greater. My hunch, however, is that there hasn’t been enough traffic with electric motorized vehicles for them to become the topic of debate about driving ordinances.

For a little while, then, there are some vehicles which allow travel both on city streets and on the paths. I imagine that in order to maintain safety the city will eventually have to set speed limits for the bike and walking paths. They may need to require that those who ride electric bikes in traffic follow the rules of the road for other motorized vehicles, which might include registration and driver licensing.

As one who rides a bike for exercise on occasion and one who enjoys biking with my grandchildren, I am not inclined to purchase an electric bicycle for myself or for my grandchildren. Using our legs to pedal our bikes doesn’t seem to limit us at all. We can ride from one end of the trail to the other without problem. Our seven-year-old granddaughter can keep up a steady pace on a ten mile bike ride. It is good exercise for her and it is good exercise for her grandfather who sometimes goes just a bit slower than her. I don’t feel the need for a motor to take the place of our pedaling.

It may be that I’m just an old curmudgeon, but when I see children and adults riding motorized scooters and bicycles, I think to myself, “What is wrong with walking or pushing a scooter with your foot or pedaling a bicycle?” “Are my grandchildren missing some essential part of life because they use human-powered conveyances to get around?” Of course, I already know the answer. After all, I have canoes and kayaks and a rowboat. I am perfectly happy to take to the water in boats that are human powered. I always feel a bit smug when I’m sharing the lake with motorized boats, knowing that such vehicles cost a lot more. Most use gasoline, which is expensive to buy. I get all of the fun of boating without having to deal with the hassle and expense of maintaining a motor. Sure they go faster, but the point of boating for me is recreation and I don’t need to go fast when I’m playing. I don’t have the noise, maintenance or weight of a motor. My paddles and oars are efficient ways to get around on the water.

I just hope that all of those who are scooting around on their motorized vehicles remember that there are a few of us old duffers out there who walk and paddle. We’ll be slower than you, so you’ll have to pass us. We might even slow you down from time to time on narrow pathways or channels. Be patient. Sometimes slowing down a bit is a real gift.