03/09/2026
We have our full county board meeting tomorrow, Monday 3/9/26 at 1pm on Etna rd in ottawa. The public is welcomed and there will be speakers addressing a topic that is very personal to many of us. The LaSalle County Park Ranger “Ken”, for no reason that I am aware of, is pushing to get E-bikes on the horse trails. This topic was just brought up in the LaSalle County Insurance Trust meeting (LCIT) which can be viewed on YouTube dated 2/19/26 and starts discussion at 7 minutes into the meeting. The discussion continues for 23 minutes with our Members, attorneys, and most of the room stating this is a terrible idea and they would discourage ANY bikes, pedal or powered on the same trails as horses. They said we would open ourselves up for lawsuits.
Please also watch, what I consider a very emotional meeting (not fact based), which is the LaSalle county property meeting on YouTube, dated 2/27/26. The discussion starts about 13 minutes into the meeting and continues for about 35 minutes. Even after they asked our attorney what the Insurance Trust meeting recommended, they state that E-bike riders are tax payers too and should be able to ride the horse trails. They ignore the fact that they were warned about possible liability issues from our attorney. They don’t understand that horseback riders are banned from most public areas even though they are also tax payers. They don’t understand how horses can get startled and hurt themselves, the rider, and possibly the person on the bike. My viewpoint is that a few of the outspoken ones are so hell bent on getting this through that common sense has eluded them. The thought that the county could be sued in the event of an injury or death did not seem to affect them. They even ignored the fact that we close the park for a complete hunting season, and nobody is allowed in, even though we are all taxpayers. Everyone has to abide by these hunting restrictions. I have watched so many videos recently of how horses have been startled by e-bikes that it has really opened up my eyes to the possible dangers when they are combined. As a horse owner, who is restricted from most places, the LaSalle County Parks are one of the last beautiful places to ride with out bikes. Also, there is only one park ranger for the parks. Who is patrolling to make sure they are only doing 10 mph which is the posted speed? A class 1 e-bike can go up to 20 mph and if they sneak in a class 2 or class 3, I believe they can go up to 35 mph and you can go on the streets and I don’t believe you need a license, but I did not verify that. They are not allowed on the sidewalks due to their inherit risk but there are many board members not thinking of the protection of the horse, rider, or the county. If you have an opinion, one way or the other, please attend our board meeting Monday 3/9/26 and hear others speak. County property moved the final vote to the April full board meeting so they could get the wording correct to pass the ordinance. As a horse rider, I can’t believe common sense is not taking hold here, but that’s just one guys opinion. Please see videos in comments below.
https://youtu.be/qdhpB5EVseo?si=Apl0AvSXG1kAGj50
Certain road signs are up in Corrales for a reason – there's a good chance you could come across a horse in your daily commute. Story: https://www.kob.com/ne...
