City police point out dangers, damage of electric dirt bikes
By Lethbridge Herald on November 29, 2025.
Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald
The City of Lethbridge and Lethbridge Police Services are warning residents of the damage unregulated electric dirt bikes are causing to the river valley and the safety risk that they pose for those walking the trails.
Sergeant Ryan Darroch with the Downtown Policing Unit said Friday that in recent months, police have noticed an increase of electric dirt bikes throughout the city, on roadways, pathways and all through the River Valley.
“These electric dirt bikes are quite different than an E-bike, which is a pedal-assist device regulated by the federal government and cap at 32 km/h,” said Darroch.
He said electric dirt bikes are illegal on any pathways, roadways, sidewalks and throughout the river valley.
“Many have been involved in several events with us. Some failing to stop, some near misses throughout the river valley where they have been driving at high speeds and nearly hitting dog walkers, families, and people out for a stroll,” said Darroch.
Unlike regular electric bicycles, e-dirt bikes are built for speed and power, capable of reaching speeds of 100 km/h.
“The trails around the city are not built for that level of speed and weight, as some of these bikes are around 300 kilograms and with a rider on them, add another 80 to 100 kilograms,” said Darroch.
He said that is a lot of force moving down the pathway and at 80 or 90 k/h they can easily hurt someone or take the life of someone.
“That is definitely something we definitely don’t want to see, given the last four traffic fatalities throughout the city have been on motorbikes, which are in the same realm as electric dirt bikes,” said Darroch.
He said LPS’ main goal is to educate the public on electric dirt bikes, and the fact that they are not welcome anywhere on the city’s roadways, pathways, or sidewalks as they are illegal.
“They are off-highway vehicles and no different than a gas-powered dirt bike. That’s how we treat them. They need to be registered and insured, which they currently cannot be within the province of Alberta,” said Darroch.
He said they want to educate the public, especially now during the holidays to make sure they do not purchase illegal dirt bikes as Christmas presents without knowing the differences with electric bikes.
Under Canadian law, an e-bike is a vehicle that is equipped with pedals, can be propelled by muscular power, has a maximum power output of 500 W, a top speed of 32 km/h, and it has a separate on/off switch for the motor or a system preventing motor engagement until the bike reaches 3 kilometres per hour.
Andrew Sommerville, Parks Planning Manager for the City of Lethbridge said the River Valley is a cherished space for residents to enjoy nature, exercise and connect with the outdoors and the city wants to make sure they continue to do that by making sure the trails are preserved.
“E-dirt bikes’ weight, acceleration, torque and aggressive treads carve ruts, displace soil and speed up erosion,” said Sommerville. “Combined with their speed, the damage demands costly, intensive maintenance to restore trails.”
He said the city has also received complaints from trail users about electric dirt bikes being used on city pathways, and especially river valley trails.
“Unlike standard E bikes, these machines reach extreme speeds, are very damaging to local ecosystems and habitat, and also cause damage to the trails themselves,” said Sommerville.
He said this undermines a lot of volunteer efforts that the Lethbridge Trail Alliance has put into sanctioning and developing resilient and sustainable trails in the River Valley.
While education is the primary goal, police are also focusing on enforcement.
A first offence carries a $500 fine, increasing to $1,000 or $1,500 for repeat violations within 12 months. Members of the public may report complaints by contacting the LPS nonemergency line at 4033284444.
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And then there are the illegal e-bikes that go at least 45-50 kph that frequent the trails in the riverbottom, do not warn you that they are passing you and blow by you almost clipping your elbow as you are walking ( at peace . . until). . . it is like a game to them to see how close they can get and how high you jump when they blow by! But . . . 70% of the convectional bicycle riders don’t warn you they are passing you either and some can get up to speeds of 60 kph going downhill on trails . . . they don’t understand you might see something and quickly move across the trail to check it out. Oh well . . . survived another year walking in the coulees and not getting hit!
You can also buy e-scooters (stand-up) online, that can reach speeds of up to 90 kph. Seriously . . . a car pulls out in front of you and your body flies into the side of the vehicle . . . splat!
I saw an e-scooter driving 50 kph downtown on the road, keeping up with cars, then go to the sidewalk continuing doing the same speed, going faster the cars, but on the sidewalk for at least 3 blocks, not stopping as he flew across the roads and back on the sidewalk at lights . . . and the bike lane was right next to the sidewalk on 7th street! Bike lanes . . . what a was of tax dollars!!!! Most do not use them!
Many in society now believe it is their right and part of their freedoms to be lawless today . . . me me me and my self appointed rights, no matter how it impacts others! Me and the other me’s grouped together!
I agree, we need to address the larger issue of e-everything that can take people beyond their ability to safely control them. And to see these “bikes” on city pathways designed for pedestrians. It’s not okay. And it’s not just kids , it’s every age. This summer, I had a near miss by a couple of seniors who must have been going 30kph on a walking path around a neighbourhood lake. Way beyond their ability. This must be addressed .