It looks like electric bikes, or e-bikes, are here to stay.
Although I don't plan to start riding one any time soon, I have nothing against them. If anything, they're good for people whose knees are giving out on them, or for other people who--whether through aging or some other cause--don't have the strength or stamina they once had but still want to pedal two wheels.
What makes them controversial, though, is their relationship with unmotorized bicycles, other motorized vehicles--and traffic, whether it consists of pedestrians, cyclists or motor vehicles. Specifically, should they be subject to the same rules and regulations as, say, motorcycles? Or should they categorized with non-motorized bicycles and be allowed to share designated bike lanes and paths with them?
Cities, states and other jurisdictions are coming up their own mandates. Beach resorts and towns face another question: Should electric bikes be permitted to roll alongside regular bicycles on boardwalks?
The City Council of Ocean City, Maryland will have to come up with an answer to it when it meets on Monday. Last week, Councilman Tony De Luca introduced an ordinance that would have amended the city's traffic and vehicle codes to allow Class One motorized bikes--ones that stop assisting the rider when a speed of 20 MPH is reached--on the boardwalk. Class Two and Three e-bikes, which have a throttle and can reach higher speeds, would have been banned.
DeLuca's proposal didn't garner enough support to become part of the city's law. On Monday, the Council will hear opposing recommendations from the Bike Committee and the police commission. The former cites e-bikes' usefulness for people who are rehabilitating from an injury or have bad knees, while the latter points to difficulties in enforcing e-bike rules and the fact that cities like Virginia Beach ban them altogether.
It would seem that every well intentioned technological change brings unintended consequences. In the UK electrical assistance is only allowed up to 15 MPH on Bicycles and electric scooters are mostly banned in public. Sadly the folk, getting their hands on these lower powered versions of what you have available, behave as badly and worse than the newcomers to cycling who feel they have the right to go at any speed anywhere and road rules like lights do not apply.
ReplyDeleteA boardwalk will be such a tempting race track!
It's just my opinion, but rules ought to be based on the danger the vehicles represent to other road users. On that basis, ebikes are generally somewhat faster and heavier than regular bikes (higher impact energy), but far less so than even small motorcycles. You get hit by a 250cc Honda Rebel and that'll do serious damage, while if you get hit by an ebike, it'll hurt the ebike rider nearly as much as you. Almost as important is if helmet rules are mandatory (bad idea IMO), an ebike rider has the potential to fall off and hit with a lot more energy than the "little kid simply falling straight down" that the CPSC regulations for bike helmets are based upon and a "one reg fits all" rule is inappropriate. For stuff going over 20; DOT regs make more sense than CPSC. And don't people regularly ride over 20 at almost any bike race? Heck, even I can hit 35 going down a moderate hill (sez he, stirring the pot)...
ReplyDeleteSteve and Voyage--I think both of you make sense. I have no objection to the slower e-bikes on bike lanes (or boardwalks), but they should be subject to the same rules and enforcement as anyone else on the paths. I also understand, however, the police commission's concerns about enforcing the rules.
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