Next, from @daihard:
Q3. What is your take on e-bikes?
My stand is that e-bikes are great tools to empower people of all ages and abilities to travel without driving - in other words, efficient car replacements. OTOH, I know there are people who consider e-bikes "electric mopeds" regardless of the configuration and want them banned from trails and cycle paths.
What are your thoughts?
(Added by me: How have your thoughts re: e-bikes changed over time?)
@ascentale @daihard
#BikeNite A3:
E-bikes are the best thing since sliced bread and will help save the planet.
They are micromobility devices. Class 1 e-bikes (pedal assist up to 20mph) should always be allowed wherever acoustic bikes are allowed. People with disabilities should be allowed to ride Class 2 e-bikes (throttle up to 20 mph) wherever acoustic bikes are allowed. Imposing a speed limit on multiuse paths is reasonable, but banning e-bikes is wrongheaded.
@MartyCormack @ascentale @daihard Retired engineer here. I agree with all you said.
Several times over the past couple years I've delved into the eBike field and almost bought one. My research indicates that the Class-1, Class-2, speed limits, etc. are routinely ignored by manufacturers and easily overridden by the owner.
Most buyers go for much higher wattage than they need so you can assume that all eBikes can go faster than 20 mph. (Which is already plenty fast on a bicycle.)
Because of this, jurisdictions will probably continue to just ban them since they know that speed categories are pretty meaningless.
You're not going to get Chinese manufacturers to comply with any such regulations.
I see no way to fix this situation. Police don't want to waste resources catching speeders on bike paths.
Thoughts?
@shuttersparks @MartyCormack @ascentale I agree lack of regulations on e-bike specifications is a big issue in the US. Everyone I know who rides an e-bike does so for transport/utility, but I am aware people buy illegal e-bikes or modify legal ones so they go faster than 28 MPH. And as you pointed out, enforcement is non-existent. Honestly, I don't have a clear solution to this problem, though I do beleive that banning e-bikes is not one.