Someone gets killed by a car, so they restrict e-bikes.
Someone gets killed by a car, so they restrict e-bikes.
The Oregon Senate passed a bill updating laws around electric bicycles on Monday. It's named for a Bend teen killed in a collision while riding an e-bike last summer.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13118199
(Title shamelessly stolen from this comment in the crossposted !micromobility thread.)
The problem isn't the class of the electric bike.
Riding on the sidewalk is extremely dangerous. Drivers will often turn (without signalling even) and not notice a bicycle coming up from behind them on a sidewalk. Driver also often back out of driveways without being able to see a bike approaching on a sidewalk.
Cyclists should be taught how to ride safely on the road and use all of the proper safety equipment.
I've commuted by bike for years and frequently shake my head when I see the behavior of other cyclists.
People ride on the sidewalks for a simple reason: the roads do not feel safe enough for riding for them, because there are car drivers there behaving in a manner lethal to non-car drivers (and other drivers too fwiw).
All solutions begin with taking the lethal actor out of the equation. Anything else is needless victim blaming and can be dismissed without any more discussion.
I used to cycle on the sidewalk, but my town started enforcing cycling in the bicycle gutter instead. I did that for a while, but then I got hit and run by a car. As a 16 year old. I don't ride my bike anymore unless it's a trail or something.
You can be both a victim AND an abuser. Being a victim does not excuse your actions that put OTHER PEOPLE at risk.
I don't disagree that roads can feel unsafe. But there's an important detail about sidewalk riding: you can be traveling against the direction of traffic. This is demonstrably dangerous at any kind of lot entry or any time cars can traverse the sidewalk path, because there should not be vehicle traffic moving in a different direction.
So I'd say both parts are true. Bikers may feel unsafe and may be unsafe on congested roads (or especially roads without dedicated bike paths), but riding on sidewalks is actually demonstrably unsafe for the biker (not to mention unsafe for anyone walking on the sidewalk).
Cyclists should have safe infrastructure instead of riding with vehicle traffic. Don't try to shift the responsibility.
I'm saying that as an experienced cyclist as well.
Not having safe infrastructure doesn't make bikers any less dangerous to be around. My specific citation is the bay area, other places I've lived have not had the sheer quantity of bikers (and drivers) with a death wish/complete lack of spatial awareness.
I think we really should enforce backing into spaces. As you apoproach the spot/driveway you can confirm it is clear then safely back in. When you go to leave again you have better visbility than if you pulled in and have to back out.
Anyone who says they arent comfortable enough backing into a space shouldn't be driving.
I don't understand how this is not common sense. If I'm not able to back in, I should probably not go in there. I can't think of anything more stressful than backing out of a driveway and onto incoming traffic that I might not be able to see.
No. Just no.
What cyclists need is dedicated infrastructure. Take it away from the car infrastructure, there is so so so so so too much car infrastructure already, convert it into much cheaper cycle infrastructure instead. Add more Public transportation infrastructure while we're at it. THAT will make it safer, not just blaming cyclists anyway
Take an example from the Netherlands.
I started riding on the road and was promptly rewarded with a nail in my tire. I'll stick to my area's multi use path.
Though admittedly if the speed limit and design limit are is 35mph or less I don't mind the road since I'm on an ebike.
To be fair, I've been rewarded more than once with a nail in my tire for driving my car on the road too.
But agree, it sucks and is good reason to use multiuse paths where they exist.
I see so many inexperienced or uneducated cyclists in my city, I almost want to make some sort of "safe cycling" video tutorial. Stuff like not riding on sidewalks (especially on stroads), Idaho stops, how to navigate intersections safely, when to take the lane, how to find routes that are safer for cycling rather than just using the route you'd take in a car, etc.
I actually feel safer on my bike than as a pedestrian in my city, but people don't know the basics of safe cycling and get frightened by all the close calls they get when/if they try cycling. They then proceed to never cycle again because it's "dangerous", when really most of the danger can be avoided with smart, conscious riding.
I think that anyone who bicycles around motor vehicles is going to have a frightening moment or close call at some point. Riding on roads where one feels most comfortable will hopefully help keep them riding, and when they feel comfortable and experienced enough, move to more “active” roads.
There’s a road where I live that’s 25mph speed limit, very busy with cars, pedestrians, shops, intersections, crosswalks, and lots of people looking for on street parking. I’ve been cycling for years and that road still requires ALL of my attention and lightning reflexes to navigate safely.
I've been cycling on the road for a good 25+ years at this point... and sorry but, you're full of shit. No matter what I do to "cycle safely", I still get close passed, cut off, left hooked, raged at for taking the lane (as is safe to do so)... The issue isn't my cycling, its the cars and the idiots driving them.
The fact that I've seen so few cyclists wearing high visibility gear is astounding. That was the first thing I bought after buying my bike, was a high-vis retro-reflective vest. Probably also helps that my bike has running lights, but still.
Go for ankle straps over vests. It's far more important for the reflective materials to be moving than the amount of body coverage you have.
GCN recently covered this topic with interviews of optometry and psychology professors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33GpfTWdk8U
When does an E-Bike become a motorcycle that someone is just riding down a sidewalk?
God forbid they formulate some laws/rules that would allow people to safely use something other than a car.
Most larger cities already have this kind of law in place anyway, limiting the power of the motors on e-bikes. For instance, mine is a Class-2 with a max speed of around 14mph and motor rated at 500w. It’s actually got a 1000w motor in it so it’s up to that speed really quickly, but it struggles to go faster because the bike is 70lbs with a 300lb rider (I bought it to lose weight and commute to work).
Makes perfect sense in my eyes to limit the speeds like this. Bike lanes are usually shit anyway, with crap all over ‘em from the road. No point in having an accident because some idiot had a blowout and nobody cleaned up the tire.
Insanity. It's not like this kid going too fast was even the issue, nothing about what they're proposing would have avoided the incident.
He was one month shy of his 16th birthday when he died. Now he'd have to wait a month or get his learner's permit before being allowed to get killed by a car on an e-bike.
How can anyone be so stupid?
I do cycle quite often (on stiff roads here, man...) and this reads to me like favoritism.
Much better title than the original!