7 eBike Shops in Lafayette Parish, LA

Where to ride in Lafayette Parish

The Atakapa-Ishak Trail was born out of the bicycle subcommittee of the Acadiana Metropolitan Planning Organization, according to the nonprofit T.R.A.I.L. The trail is planned to connect Lafayette with Breaux Bridge, St. Martinville, Henderson, Arnaudville, Port Barre, Opelousas, Sunset, and Grand Coteau, with few encounters with roadways.

T.R.A.I.L. says the completed section connects Parc Sans Souci in downtown Lafayette to Beaver Park, Vermilionville, and the Jean Lafitte Center. The next sections it names are a continuation from Beaver Park around the Lafayette Regional Airport and a link from the Breaux Bridge trailhead to Acadiana Park.

Moncus Park, at 2913 Johnston Street, is Lafayette's central green space, with 100 acres, woodland trails through bottomland hardwood forest, and a 1-mile loop. The park is open 365 days a year from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the unlit back 50 acres are open from sunrise to sunset.

The park's rules say bikes, skates, scooters, and skateboards are allowed on concrete paths only. The rules page does not name eBikes, so ask the park whether a pedal-assist bike counts as a bike.

Girard Park, at 500 Girard Park Drive, has 33 acres, a recreation center, the Lafayette Parks and Recreation main office, and a 1.25-mile jogging trail. The city page does not give a bicycle rule for the jogging trail.

T.R.A.I.L. calls itself Transportation Recreation Alternatives in Louisiana and says it builds and maintains places to run, paddle, walk, or ride, along with events. Its listing in the directory is the parish's rental service.

Lafayette Regional Airport is the landmark T.R.A.I.L. uses for the next section of the Atakapa-Ishak Trail, which will continue from Beaver Park around the airport.

Beaver Park is the first stop on the completed trail past downtown, and Acadiana Park in Breaux Bridge is the target of a planned link from the Breaux Bridge trailhead. Those two parks mark the near and far ends of the sections T.R.A.I.L. names.

eBike rules in Louisiana

Louisiana defines an electric-assisted bicycle in R.S. 32:1(25) as a bicycle with a saddle or seat, fully operable pedals, and an electric motor of less than 750 watts, on two wheels (either one at least 16 inches across) or three wheels (one at least 20 inches across). It sorts them into three classes. Class one assists only while you pedal and stops assisting at 20 mph. Class two may move the bike on its own and cannot assist at 20 mph. Class three assists only while you pedal and stops assisting at 28 mph.

R.S. 32:204 gives an electric-assisted bicycle the rights and duties of a bicycle, and R.S. 32:1 leaves it out of the definitions of motor vehicle and motorcycle. It may be ridden wherever bicycles are allowed, including streets, highways, bicycle lanes, shared-use trails, and bicycle paths. After notice and a public hearing, a local municipal authority, a parish authority, or a state agency in charge of a shared-use trail or path may prohibit Class one or Class two bikes there for safety reasons or to comply with other laws, and it may also prohibit Class three bikes. On a trail designated nonmotorized with a natural tread of cleared native soil, that authority may regulate eBikes on its own.

Nobody under 12 may operate a Class three eBike, though a child under 12 may ride as a passenger on a Class three built to carry one. Every Class three operator and passenger must wear an approved bicycle helmet, the fine is $50, and the fine is waived on proof of buying a helmet. A Class three must also have a speedometer that shows miles per hour. The section sets a helmet duty for Class three only, so read our Louisiana eBike laws guide, then the sign at the trailhead, because parish and park rules can go further.

Cities in Lafayette Parish

Every card here sits in Lafayette, and the eBike shops in Lafayette page has the same shops.

Frequently asked questions