The problem isn’t the speed, there aren’t speed restrictors on motorcycles or cars.
The problem is there’s no safe lane for them to be ridden. There’s no infrastructure accommodation for them. They can’t be ridden on the sidewalk, and they’re unsafe in regular traffic. Bicycle lanes aren’t ubiquitous enough or designed well enough for bicycles, let alone these mixing with bicycles.
As usual, rather than raising taxes on the filthy rich to fund better infrastructure for the good of the people, they limit what we can do because it’s cheaper and we have less power to resist, or at least, aren’t organized well enough to exercise the power we have.
Weird you missed another key distinction: testing, licensing, and associated age restrictions.
At these speeds they’re electric motorcycles. They should be treated accordingly (and I say that as an avid cyclist who’s incredibly supportive of e-bikes).
Why not just classify them as mopeds? Mopeds have been around for ages, started out as motorized bicycles, are limited to around 28mph, and have standard age, and license requirements. You have to get a license, and plates. I think there is an insurance requirement also.
I feel like applying all the same guidelines to e-bikes would go a long way to resolve the chaos they have been causing.
Obviously there would need to be some new parameters around what exactly qualifies and all that.
If an ebike can go fast enough riding in regular car lanes shouldn’t be too much of an issue. It wouldnt be any more dangerous than driving a motorcycle.
The main reason bikes don’t do well in car lanes is because they can’t keep up with the flow of traffic typically and cause cars to pile up behind them and then people get impatient and aggressive.
An ebike that can go 50-60kph would basically just be a motorcycle in traffic that could then slip into a bike lane when traffic gets bad.
The problem isn’t the speed, there aren’t speed restrictors on motorcycles or cars.
The problem is there’s no safe lane for them to be ridden. There’s no infrastructure accommodation for them. They can’t be ridden on the sidewalk, and they’re unsafe in regular traffic. Bicycle lanes aren’t ubiquitous enough or designed well enough for bicycles, let alone these mixing with bicycles.
As usual, rather than raising taxes on the filthy rich to fund better infrastructure for the good of the people, they limit what we can do because it’s cheaper and we have less power to resist, or at least, aren’t organized well enough to exercise the power we have.
Weird you missed another key distinction: testing, licensing, and associated age restrictions.
At these speeds they’re electric motorcycles. They should be treated accordingly (and I say that as an avid cyclist who’s incredibly supportive of e-bikes).
What’s next, a license to make toast in my own damn toaster?!
(libertarians are unhinged and deeply unserious people)
https://youtu.be/ZITP93pqtdQ
Why not just classify them as mopeds? Mopeds have been around for ages, started out as motorized bicycles, are limited to around 28mph, and have standard age, and license requirements. You have to get a license, and plates. I think there is an insurance requirement also.
I feel like applying all the same guidelines to e-bikes would go a long way to resolve the chaos they have been causing.
Obviously there would need to be some new parameters around what exactly qualifies and all that.
If an ebike can go fast enough riding in regular car lanes shouldn’t be too much of an issue. It wouldnt be any more dangerous than driving a motorcycle.
The main reason bikes don’t do well in car lanes is because they can’t keep up with the flow of traffic typically and cause cars to pile up behind them and then people get impatient and aggressive.
An ebike that can go 50-60kph would basically just be a motorcycle in traffic that could then slip into a bike lane when traffic gets bad.