"Get your motor runnin' Head out on the... bikeway?" 🎵 It's unsafe to ride "e-motos" at high speeds on routes used by pedestrians and non-electric bike riders. However, ≤20mph e-bikes such as Divvies shouldn't be banned from bike lanes and paths. @chicritmass.bsky.social @rideillinois.bsky.social
as a pedestrian i don’t want to share my path with anyone but other pedestrians and wheelchair users. i have been buzzed way too often by screaming idiots under the impression i can just magically LEAP out of their way on demand.
They are motorized vehicles. Motorcycles, scooters, cars are banned on sidewalks and bike paths. And so should these!
⬇️ The Problem!
I have an off-road e-bike and although it will do 30+ mph, I can limit it to 9 or 15 mph with a switch. Do on-road bikes not have the same feature?
I would agree. Just yesterday someone on an E bike was speeding up the sidewalk at about 30 miles an hour. They ran a red light, and then they wiped out making the sharp left turn. They were fine, their bike was sprawled out over the road, and it halted traffic at that light for a good five minutes.
We live right on a bike path (it crosses our driveway) and it scares me how fast some of those e-bikes zip by. It’s only a matter of time before something tragic happens. I’m not anti-e-bike but I don’t think they should be weaving through bike and pedestrian traffic at 30 mph. Use the road.
Electric, ICE or nuclear-powered, if it is motorized, it shouldn't be on a bike path. Some exception can be made for the handicapped.
Banning would be an easy answer to a lot of problems if it ever worked. The answer is to regulate behavior, new laws to charge reckless behavior on multi-use paths, if necessary.
Helmets need to be required.
Also the motorized revenue generating Rickshaws that bulldoze the LFP
We shouldn’t make rules for all based on the actions of a few - responsible and safe operation I have no problem with even on an e-bike w/ a throttle. I’m sure if I blew by walkers on my analog bike at 20+ mph it would be dangerous as well, but responsible riders slow down and say they are passing
Spoken like a white man. Let's not make rules EVERYBODY has to follow. Bike paths aren't streets. There has to be rules for everybody, even white men.
White man or not, he's correct. On paths in Seattle, I have been passed on my e-bike by analog bikes doing 25+ mph. Everyone is unsafe at that speed, especially on busy paths. And he's not saying to not have rules. He's saying to not exclude all e-bikes. Just set a limit for everyone to follow.
I can’t not be what I am, apologies. I appreciate that an e-bike makes it so I can ride with my partner who is not a cyclist in the same way I am. So I would not like rules that are for that jerks whether on e-bikes or not but apply to all of us who are considerate.
Kids ride them on the streets doing wheelies and going as fast as they can. Their parents should be held responsible for them or anyone else getting hurt.
We have an e-bike problem in Ventura. IMO, some ebike riders think they have the right of way on bike paths because they can move so fast. I blame the cities too, it seems there aren't really any rules for bike paths like speed limits or passing rules.
The worst offenders are older men who dress up like something out of Mad Max with their boom box.
Coming from a city where a lot of people used ebikes to get around, they should not be allowed on any Bikeway! Sure most people would be conscious of what's around them, but we will always have those who will take it to the max speed and make walkers, joggers and other bikers have to move for them.
It’s not just the speed though, it the weight of the ring as well. E-bikes are extremely heavy and combined with a speed of 20 mph can cause quite a lot of damage to whomever they strike. 15 mph would be a safer governed speed, which is still much faster than most cyclists.
In fairness, there are some riders that have contraptions that can fly, but ride at reasonable rates when near other riders. However, the ones that blaze are going to kill someone. The irony is they aren’t expending any effort and many are the most impatient on the path.
An elbow strike would help show those guys down.
How do they cope with this problem in Europe?
It's not the "e-moto" bikes that are the problem. It's the "e-douches" riding them too fast.