I ride class 1, 2, and 3, ecargo, and occasional muscle bikes. I probably ride class 3 the most. Due to where I live, it’s not safe enough to ride only in the road so I regularly break the rules (in Minecraft) and ride on paved multi-use paths where I should technically be limited to class 1. I have never had a bad experience with pedestrians, usually I brighten their day with a smile, a ring, and a wave. I would probably be dead under a lifted Ram 3500 with smokestacks if I tried to avoid the trails completely. There’s just no safe way through.
They should fix and expand a comprehensive on-road bike network before enforcing and nitpicking regulations when the few ebike issues are colossally outweighed by the car issues and people riding gas dirt bikes where they aren’t supposed to.
They should fix and expand a comprehensive on-road bike network before enforcing and nitpicking regulations
Absolutely agree 100%. IMO, it is a public policy failure that we’re not doing more to: 1) incentivize more people to use electric micro mobility that exists right now (compare with flying cars, hydrogen cars, self driving cars, so-called hyperloop, electric VTOL aircraft, etc), 2) discourage car dependency by taking it down a peg in terms of priority for space on the public roads, and 3) pursue land use changes that increase density so that micro mobility and public transit are the first-choice option for most people, not the last.
It is patently absurd to me that enforcement effort – which in most American cities is a zero-sum game – is being expended to go after ebikes and e-scooters for frivolous offenses like speeding (frivolous bc it’s still slower than all the much-larger cars going by) while motor vehicles offenses get a free pass (eg the informal rule that 5-10 MPH over the limit is acceptable). It’s very much screams “rules for thee but not for me” and it cannot be tolerated while this country fights for whatever remains of the rule of law.
As for genuine issues created by micro mobility, we’re fortunately seeing some progress in that regard, where progress means bringing more currently-unlawful e-machines into the regulatory structure. As discussed earlier in this community, California has a bill which would create eMotos as a category, for things which otherwise would be burdened by onerous or impossible motorcycle registration.
Enlarging the micro mobility pie should be the objective. Anything that tries to discourage or shrink the pie should be shunned.
To that end, everyone in this community needs to be a thorn in their local government, and apply pressure and reminders where it counts. At least where I live, this effort is showing results, as my town has just published a bicycle/pedestrian improvement plan (timeline of 10+ years) which although not necessarily all funded, it outlines a proper grid of curb-separated on-steet bike corridors on arterial roads. None of this “circuitous back roads” nonsense, and because it follows the same road alignment, it would be most appropriate for Class 3 ebike speeds.
Having an adopted plan is valuable ammo to fight for building those projects, even in piecemeal fashion, when the road inevitably is due for repaving and the town needs to apply for state/federal funding. Here in California, towns can win additional grant funding if they actually build the bike and pedestrian projects they’ve already planned out. And money is persuasive.
I ride class 1, 2, and 3, ecargo, and occasional muscle bikes. I probably ride class 3 the most. Due to where I live, it’s not safe enough to ride only in the road so I regularly break the rules (in Minecraft) and ride on paved multi-use paths where I should technically be limited to class 1. I have never had a bad experience with pedestrians, usually I brighten their day with a smile, a ring, and a wave. I would probably be dead under a lifted Ram 3500 with smokestacks if I tried to avoid the trails completely. There’s just no safe way through.
They should fix and expand a comprehensive on-road bike network before enforcing and nitpicking regulations when the few ebike issues are colossally outweighed by the car issues and people riding gas dirt bikes where they aren’t supposed to.
Absolutely agree 100%. IMO, it is a public policy failure that we’re not doing more to: 1) incentivize more people to use electric micro mobility that exists right now (compare with flying cars, hydrogen cars, self driving cars, so-called hyperloop, electric VTOL aircraft, etc), 2) discourage car dependency by taking it down a peg in terms of priority for space on the public roads, and 3) pursue land use changes that increase density so that micro mobility and public transit are the first-choice option for most people, not the last.
It is patently absurd to me that enforcement effort – which in most American cities is a zero-sum game – is being expended to go after ebikes and e-scooters for frivolous offenses like speeding (frivolous bc it’s still slower than all the much-larger cars going by) while motor vehicles offenses get a free pass (eg the informal rule that 5-10 MPH over the limit is acceptable). It’s very much screams “rules for thee but not for me” and it cannot be tolerated while this country fights for whatever remains of the rule of law.
As for genuine issues created by micro mobility, we’re fortunately seeing some progress in that regard, where progress means bringing more currently-unlawful e-machines into the regulatory structure. As discussed earlier in this community, California has a bill which would create eMotos as a category, for things which otherwise would be burdened by onerous or impossible motorcycle registration.
Enlarging the micro mobility pie should be the objective. Anything that tries to discourage or shrink the pie should be shunned.
To that end, everyone in this community needs to be a thorn in their local government, and apply pressure and reminders where it counts. At least where I live, this effort is showing results, as my town has just published a bicycle/pedestrian improvement plan (timeline of 10+ years) which although not necessarily all funded, it outlines a proper grid of curb-separated on-steet bike corridors on arterial roads. None of this “circuitous back roads” nonsense, and because it follows the same road alignment, it would be most appropriate for Class 3 ebike speeds.
Having an adopted plan is valuable ammo to fight for building those projects, even in piecemeal fashion, when the road inevitably is due for repaving and the town needs to apply for state/federal funding. Here in California, towns can win additional grant funding if they actually build the bike and pedestrian projects they’ve already planned out. And money is persuasive.
Be the change you want to see.