As primarily a cyclist but also a pedestrian, I am concerned about the speeds that are possible with little effort on eBikes. The Class 3 eBikes identified in the state legislation can be motor powered up to 28mph. Above that it's all leg power. for more detail see: Senate Bill 129 <https://app.box.com/s/tq011qz9cju9xu2kqz5205rteougx2av>
Mr. Arnold of Bike Fed., below, asks why pick on electric bikes for special attention. I respond with "Because making it easy to go 28mph promotes going 28mph." We all like to go fast. But under leg power, going 28mph requires substantial effort that few are willing to put out for more than a short period. When it is possible to go 28mph with little effort because a motor is providing most of the oomph, more people will go 28mph. I am overjoyed, and sometimes chagrined :), at the number of people that now use the ped/bike paths. I support getting more people on bikes, on their feet and out of cars and if that involves e-bikes, fine. What I can not support is legislation that facilitates unsafe speeds on shared paths. eBikes on pedestrian/bicycle paths, that are not limited to a typical speed of unassisted bikes, promote higher speeds. Maybe, as Mr. Arnold suggests, speed limits on shared paths is a step in the right direction, maybe there are other approaches. In any case, we can't pretend a 28mph bicycle on a shared path isn't an issue for a pedestrians going 2.8 mph. I hope conversations such as the one on this listserv help to guide us in the right direction. take care, john p.s. we've been discussing this on the Marquette Neighborhood listserve and I'm copying a post from there in case anyone wants to investigate the specific legislation: -------- Forwarded Message -------- *Subject: *[MarqNA] eBike vs eScooter Wisconsin legislation *Date: *Sun, 7 Jul 2019 12:27:02 -0500 *From: *John [email protected] [MarqNA] <[email protected]> *To: *marqna <[email protected]> To be clear, there are bills in the the Assembly and Senate for Electric Bicycles and, separately, for Electric Scooters. The Senate and Assembly versions appear identical or very similar. Their exact status is difficult to determine. The bills are linked below: Assembly Bill 132 <https://app.box.com/s/qrzq0r46253d8bp80j4r9uy8zbb5ac89> - regulating _eBikes_ - passed during Assembly 6/20/2019 2019 Regular Session and sent to Senate Assembly Bill 159 <https://app.box.com/s/rzkj2xfkw6lvsuqz4ib4h0bkjhtzudhb> - regulating _eScooters_ - "Laid on the table" during Assembly 6/20/2019 2019 Regular Session Senate Bill 129 <https://app.box.com/s/tq011qz9cju9xu2kqz5205rteougx2av> - regulating _eBikes_ - "Available for scheduling" at the Senate Senate Bill 152 <https://app.box.com/s/o33vb51xqld52wb437jon4syn3m0q5vz> - regulating e_Scooters_ - Presented to the Governor on 7-3-2019 The eBike legislation limits _electric bicycles to a max of 28mph under motor power_. The eScooter legislation limits_electric scooters to a max of 20mph under motor power._ Do not confuse the above _legislation_ with the BCycle _rental program_ (white bikes in racks around town). Trek has decided to limit those eBikes to a max of 17mph under motor power for their own reasons. The eBike legislation states: "In general, an _electric bicycle is subject to the same rules as other bicycles_ and an operator of an electric bicycle is subject to the same rules and is afforded the same privileges as operators of other bicycles..." with a few exceptions, see the linked bill. The eScooter legislation states: "The bill authorizes electric scooters to be used on certain highways subject to the _same requirements as apply under current law to EPAMDs._" (Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Device). The legislation and the legislative history is available at: https://legis.wisconsin.gov/ but difficult to muddle through. On 7/12/2019 3:20 PM, [email protected] wrote: > We all have seen bicycle athletes on completely > human-powered bikes hammering down multi-use paths without regard to > other users. Why pick out e-bikes, or Copenhegen Wheel users, for > special attention? > -- > Steve Arnold, Former Mayor, and > Chair, Wisconsin Bike Fed Board of Directors Lobbying Committee _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
