What I object to is the differentiation between "assisted" and "powered" being too fine for local government to discern and wield if those e-bike classifications aren't already codified. The drift from "assist" to fully-propelled guided by the mantra of more-is-better is at play here and local authorities don't seem to be keeping up.
My urban environment becomes Appalachian in the span of a single ride that includes parts of the GAP and the lawmaking encompassing those separate worlds is slow and often antagonistic. The good news is that in those less urban realms, the e-things don't go far from the parking lots and access points. They are more of a hazard/nuisance closer in where some commuters try using them. At least the springtime hordes of Pep Boys electric motorcyle look-alike "toys" piloted by inexperienced, unhelmeted, unlicensed adolescents seem to choose the streets instead of the MUPs. By mid-summer their batteries don't keep enough charge to be interesting and disappear until the next spring swarm is purchased and released into the streets. Andy Cheatham Pittsburgh On Monday, May 20, 2019 at 4:58:28 PM UTC-4, Steve Palincsar wrote: > > So you'd object to a Class 1 e-bike being ridden in the bike lane (Class 1 > motors only run when you turn the pedals, and in Europe anyway, assist > stops at 15.5 mph)? > > I wouldn't quail at lumping Class 2 e-bikes (i.e., throttles but pedaling > isn't required) in with motorcycles and motor scooters and mopeds, and you > could even make an argument that a Class 3 e-assist (you have to pedal but > assist runs up to 28 mph in the US) don't belong in bike lanes (even though > most communities in the US allow Class 3 in bike lanes but not on bike > trails). Class 3 bikes are big, powerful and in general pretty heavy. > It's difficult if not impossible to ride one without engaging the motor. > > But honestly, a Class 1 e-assist bike has a lot more in common with an > unmotorized bicycle than it does with a motor scooter. The latest > generation of Class 1 road e-assist bikes with motors like the Fazua or the > Ebikemotion X35 are pretty light, about in the high 20s, where a typical > Bike Boom 10-speed would be. They're intended to be ridden much of the > time without motor assist, and as I said, assist cuts out at a fairly low > speed. > > Other than ideology, what is the nature of your objection? Or is it just > simplistic ideology, such as Christopher's "if it's a cycle with a motor, > it's a motorcycle" totally devoild of any nuance? > On 5/20/19 4:07 PM, Evan E. wrote: > > Yep! I, too have no problem with e-bikes and e-scooters and motorcycles > and motor scooters. Just as long as they are not in the bike lane — that > is, an official lane, at the edge of the street or road, created for > pedal-powered bicycles. (It would also be awesome if the various motorized > vehicles were given an earth tax for whatever energy they entail or > consume. But an accurate tax would be hard to levy because one e-bike might > be powered by a windmill and another might be powered by a coal-burning > plant, right?) > > > On Monday, May 20, 2019 at 5:26:02 AM UTC-7, Christopher Cote wrote: >> >> I'm with you D. Patrick. If it's a cycle with a motor, it's a motorcycle. >> Electric, gas, whatever. I'm not anti motorcycle, I own and enjoy one. Just >> keep the motors off the bicycle paths/trails. >> >> Chris >> > > -- > Steve Palincsar > Alexandria, Virginia > USA > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/34fd02a3-5e48-4792-84a7-ec434a9934d6%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
