Electric bikes are a "menace to little children and society"

[muckymits]

I'd go along with that if applied across the board.....motorist's cars confiscated for...
... speeding...jumping lights...driving whilst holding a mobile phone...killing children...I could go on

Talking to a guy the other day and he had been cut up by a car driver, he showed the footage from his head cam to the police. The car driver has been given some sort of ASBO and will have his car confiscated if he does anything wrong again....what a result

 

[polyphasic]

Talking to a guy the other day and he had been cut up by a car driver, he showed the footage from his head cam to the police. The car driver has been given some sort of ASBO and will have his car confiscated if he does anything wrong again....what a result

That's a big fear of mine. One thing I'd like to have is a rear camera that I can view cars coming up behind me.

I got my Brompton on Tuesday. I drove it from 13th street to 42nd street. This is my first bike ride (other than testing store bikes) in NYC. It's absolutely amazing how many cyclist do not follow the rules of the road. Tons driving the wrong way and running lights galore, so I guess I'm going to be a supporter of the increased efforts to support the rules of the road. At one point there were more bicyclist going the wrong way on a oneway street than there were going the correct direction. Rather disappointing I must say. I can see why we don't have much of a voice. We lose what little we have by not following the rules of the road.

I'm not a supporter of making all electric bikes illegal in the state of NY. I could live with European laws regarding electric bikes in the city, especially in a condensed city like NY (those cities that were developed prior to the automobile era). I'm not sure towns should be subject though to those same laws. I would think somewhat higher speeds in more rural areas could be safer for all involved.

Also, the ban isn't driven by safety concern - it's not a response to someone doing 25mph on the sidewalk - it's motivated by greed and protectionism - how dare someone use a FREE mode of transport in NY!

There are a lot of bikes that are clearly electric riding around the streets of NY still, so I guess enforcement of these new laws aren't in full effect.

I wonder whether it's just that they're easier targets by those that have built-up anger of the perceived invasion of bicycling. The city has evolved to provide more space to bikers and less space to cars at a rather progressive pace over the past few years.

A. There are a lot of electric delivery bikes.
B. They're the poorest of NY (delivery people aren't wealthy thus easier target, poor people don't have many rights in an oligarchy).
C. They stand out because they're zipping beside you without pedaling while you're riding in the taxi.
D. NYC roads have changed drastically just in the past few years, new bike lanes all over so less parking and lanes for cars. Maybe it's a backlash from that.
E. Citibank is paying to put in the largest bike sharing program in the world, so there are tons of sidewalks that are soon to be crowded with a rack with a dozen Citibank logo bikes. New Yorkers that don't bike aren't pleased to see their sidewalks and parking spots get taken over by bike sharing facilities.

Personally, I see it as progress, but I wonder if it's more than just free riding they distain, is it the continual limitation of shared space through allowing more bike access? I can see why taxi drivers hate bikes on multiple levels, but the target for electric bikes still has me puzzled. Biking is free and yet we're expanding biking in the city at a faster rate than most large cities, so why target electric bikes?

I think the protectionism was just political persuasion rhetoric. Anytime someone resorts to the kid card, you know they're likely speaking to emotion rather than from statistical data.

 

[eddieo]

Talking to a guy the other day and he had been cut up by a car driver, he showed the footage from his head cam to the police. The car driver has been given some sort of ASBO and will have his car confiscated if he does anything wrong again....what a result

Got my contour roam head cam now..waiting for weather to improve and I am out car baiting! Riding as badly as possible to capture the enemy on camera....if you cant beat them join them! i can ride as badly as most drive if I want to...

 

[Mussels]

There have been crack downs on illegal ebikes in London already, mainly the rickshaws that were overweight. I wonder if the Taxi drivers were the ones that made all the complaints about them?
I'm sure the delivery pedelecs are also overweight but nobody seems worried about them. To be a voice of reason the delivery trikes seem much better built.

 

[polyphasic]

Got my contour roam head cam now

Oh that looks like a nice cam. I'm hoping there is a decent product to mount the iphone to the bike, then use the iphone to record from the rear. Something like this but using the phone to record and use as a monitor. The idea of just trying to limit the number of gadgets. The Bicycle Rearview Camera - Hammacher Schlemmer

 

[flecc]

It's absolutely amazing how many cyclist do not follow the rules of the road. Tons driving the wrong way and running lights galore,

We suffer exactly the same in Britain and especially in London. Cyclists really are their own worst enemy where getting the approval of the authorities and gaining concessions are concerned.

 

[Mussels]

We suffer exactly the same in Britain and especially in London. Cyclists really are their own worst enemy where getting the approval of the authorities and gaining concessions are concerned.

In London it all works pretty well, generally cyclists only break the law where it is relatively safe. The authorities are well aware of the law breaking and the response varies from targeting and fining offenders, through indifference to changing the law and legalising some of the moves.
Some cyclists are a nuisance but they are a minority and I often see the police stopping them so it's not ignored.
People shouldn't froth at the mouth just because a cyclist has gone through a red light but think about whether the cyclist was a danger to himself or others.
A big part of what the authorities want to achieve in London is 'permiability', this is where bikes flow through gaps that other transport systems wouldn't use, this works best when rules are bent.

 

[flecc]

All absolutely true Mussels, I wouldn't disagree with any of that. The problem though is that the majority of the public who don't cycle have a very different perspective on the issue. They see these safe behaviours of the majority of cyclists as exactly the same as the irresponsibility of the minority of cycling nutters. To them it's all breaking the law, taking big risks and worst of all, mostly getting away with it, which is something they really hate.

That is a really big problem which is very clearly and frequently expressed through all the media.

 

[Davanti]

i can ride as badly as most drive if I want to...

I heard!

 

[polyphasic]

Thought I'd update this thread since I had posted misinformation about the legality of electric bikes in NYC. I didn't know there was a federal law and I had thought previously that all electric bikes were banned in NYC. Even the media seems to suggest such, but NYCEwheels has put the following in their October newsletter suggesting otherwise:

"Q: Are electric bikes legal?
A: It's a sort of grey issue. Federal law states that they are legal when they can't go over 20 mph and require pedaling. In New York City they're legal under 15 mph. The ticketing is sporadic at best. Most people can't even tell an electric bike from a regular bike visually so it's no wonder the laws aren't enforced very strictly."

The last sentence is incorrect IMO. Police know the difference. The average citizen doesn't, but police know most of these bikes zipping though traffic at 25mph without pedaling are electric powered. Some even look like scooters and most of them have the huge battery packs. There are some stealth electric bikes such as the Brompton, but the vast majority should be obvious to police. Regardless, they're stupid laws to outlaw viable green transportation.

 

[NRG]

When I was in NYC at the start of August I couldn't believe the number of eZee bikes I saw, I lost count. That tells me cyclist in NYC don't give a dam if theres a law or not.

 

[flecc]

States do not have to comply with the Federal law on e-bikes. As I mentioned above, Illinois for example has a total ban on any e-bike and a "catch 22" that they refuse to register any e-bike as a motor vehicle either. That's as total a ban as one could imagine.

I know nothing of 15 mph e-bikes being permitted in NYC, the US sites I've seen listing the legal positions by state say all e-bikes are banned in NYC?