John D. Rockefeller Jr. clearly stipulated that motorized vehicles would never be allowed on the carriage roads his family donated to Acadia National Park. The carriage roads, which took 30 years to build and over 13 years to restore, are unequaled in the National Park System.

Rockefeller was an experienced horseman who wanted to travel by horse and carriage on Mount Desert Island roadways without encountering motor-driven vehicles. I have spent many reverent hours walking on the carriage roads in wonder of the miraculous planning and details that went into these roads.

The roads are shared by walkers, joggers, bikers, horses and carriages. They can get very congested at times, and adding e-bikes to the mix (as directed by the Interior Department) would have a harmful effect on the roads and the habitats of the flora and fauna found within the park. I did some research on e-bikes and learned that a system of classifying e-bikes is being adopted by several states as a means of regulating them. These classifications can be found online.

The roads were designed and given to Acadia National Park as a source of spiritual inspiration. Some of the carriage roads are on private property. Even if e-bikes were allowed on some of the carriage roads with stipulations, these stipulations would be impossible to enforce. I am a member of the Friends of Acadia and am aware how much this organization has done to maintain and preserve these roads. Please say “mo” to e-bikes on these amazing pathways of history.

Jan Jukkola

Bridgton