The pace on the Otago Central Rail Trail might pick up a little later this year, as the Department of Conservation reconsiders its policy on electric bikes.
Since it opened, the bikes have not been allowed on the cycle trail, as they are considered a vehicle.
Under the trail's Conservation Management Strategy, vehicles are banned for safety reasons.
The only exception is for people with disabilities or mobility issues, who can use motorised devices, including electric bikes.
But increasing interest and queries about electric bikes have prompted Doc to revisit the matter, partnership ranger Jacob Dexter, of Alexandra, says.
''We recognise that with technology changes and as they are becoming more common, that there has been a greater call to use electric bikes on the trail.''
Discussions on whether to change the policy would be held at a meeting of stakeholders, including rail trail operators, in Alexandra on April 27.
Mr Dexter said the discussion about electric bikes had been continuing for about a year, and Doc would have liked to have had the meeting earlier this year, but decided to wait until after the peak of the visitor season.
The move was not a response to what he called a ''misinformed'' complaint from serial litigator Graham McCready, of Hamilton, to the Human Rights Commission saying Doc's policy discriminated against older people and people with disabilities.
''I wish he had contacted us first before making that complaint and he would have found out that he could take his electric bike on the trail,'' Mr Dexter said.
Mr McCready, who has a mobility issue with his legs, wanted to hire an electric bike in November, but was told Doc had banned them on the rail trail.
After ''getting organised'', he made a complaint to Doc yesterday, and copied it to the Human Rights Commission.
He said yesterday morning the complaint stood until Doc contacted him personally and told him exactly what its electric bike policy was.
A commission spokeswoman later confirmed a complaint was received, but had since been withdrawn.
Mr McCready could not be contacted after that.
Trail Journeys Central Otago was pulled up by Doc about this time last year for hiring out electric bikes in breach of the department's policy.
Manager Shayne O'Connor, who is also the chairman of the Rail Trail operators stakeholder group, said Doc had been ''really good'' about the issue, and acted after a September meeting of the operators group at which members voted for restrictions around electric bike use to be loosened.
The bikes were getting more and more popular and provided ''big'' opportunities, he said.
There was some opposition from operators concerned people would spend fewer nights on the trip, and others who were concerned about safety, but with a top speed of about 25kmh, which was much slower than some human-powered cyclists travelled anyway, Mr O'Connor did not think the top speed was too much of a problem.
