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LUZERNE – Two and a half weeks ago, Dave Bass took a serious fall on the Back Mountain Trail when he hit a rope that was stretched across the trail while bike riding.
On Tuesday, three local companies stepped forward to help make the Back Mountain Trail a safer place for everyone that uses it. Trans-Med Ambulance, Vector Security and The J.L. Aiello Co. combined to donate an e-bike to the Luzerne Police Department to use to patrol the trail and other parts of the borough.
“I think it’s going to be a really big deal,” Bass said of the bike. “It will be a deterrent more than anything. People know that the trails being patrolled. It’s going to be a really good thing.”
An e-bike is a bicycle that can be pedaled like a normal bicycle but also has an electric motor that can be turned on to assist the rider. Most e-bikes are designed to help riders get over a challenging hill or two.
The $3,000 Recon Commando Power Bike donated to Luzerne packs a little more oomph than that.
The bike comes equipped with a motor that can power the bike at 30 mph for 50 miles. Its 4-inch Fat Boy tires will allow it to deal easily with any type of terrain, including snow and mud.
And, of course, since it’s a police vehicle, it comes equipped with police lights and a siren.
“It’s a great thing for the community. It’s a great thing for the police department,” Luzerne Police Chief Michael J. Kotwasinski said. It gives the officers the ability to patrol the Back Mountain Trail a lot. It will contribute to the safety of those that are walking it.”
The bike will see more of Luzerne than just the trail, according to Kotwasinski.
“We can also use it for our fall festival, our spring festival, our Halloween event and it also gives the officers on patrol the ability to be more stealthy,” he said.
Jim Murphy, of Vector Security, summed up the feelings of all three companies on why they felt the need to make the donation.
“We get so much from the community,” he said. “We work and breathe in this community. It’s nice to give just a little back.”
As for Bass, he is still recovering from his injuries, dealing with rib and hip pain. He has been back on his bike, riding 90 miles in the last week.
And now, thanks to Trans-Med Ambulance, Vector Security and The J.L. Aiello Co., the next time he heads out on the Back Mountain Trail it should be a little bit safer.
