People of Mastodon!
I'm researching the growth of ebikes ...
... in cities around the US
I've talked to many people who love them!
But also want to include the perspective of folks who have concerns ...
... i.e. about the speed and weight of ebikes in accidents with pedestrians or other cyclists, and the like
If anyone has thoughts they wanna share, ping me! I'm all ears: [email protected]
Pass this along if you know anyone else with perspective they want to share
Aha, yeah, good point about sound and warnings
Usually when I say "on your left" on my regular pedal bike, I'm passing at a pretty slow pace
Have you had any accidents or near-accidents with ebike riders?
@clive @dougiec3
A very common one for me in town is waiting at a red light to turn left at a junction, only to have an e-bike doing 30 undertake and bomb round the corner.
Multiple times if I’d simply twisted my wheel to shift my standing weight, I’d have been smashed into bits.
Always always delivery drivers, occasionally souped up scooters.
@clive @dougiec3
Also: the large Junction ‘X’ crossings. Bikes will occasionally amble across the red light to cross over with pedestrians (while still giving them right of way).
But e-scooters and delivery bikes just see it as a green light and bomb straight across at full speed.
I have seen many heart-stopping near misses.
Ack!
What is a large junction X crossing? Is that different from a regular four-way intersection?
That's definitely the case here in NYC too
@clive @dougiec3
Maybe it's just me or because I ride a bicycle like, rather than scooter like, #ebike but I find my average speed has gone from about 18 km/hr on they hybrid to about 20 km/hr on the ebike. My max-speed is about 40 km/hr on either, though the electric assist turns off at 32 km/hr on the ebike.
http://the5thc.blogspot.com/2022/08/norco-scene-vlt-e-bike-for-people-that.html
@the5thColumnist @clive @dougiec3 this is similar to my experience. My top speed on a normal bike versus an electric bike would be about the same. My average speed on an electric bike would be faster on average because it’s easier to keep it at speed.
I don’t see weight of e-bikes versus normal bikes as a big issue. The extra weight of an ebike would be smaller than the variation of weight in riders. One rider could be 150 pounds heavier than another.
@scokop @the5thColumnist @dougiec3
Interesting point about the weight differences of riders
I have a loaner ebike, and I think I can detect myself going a little bit faster on average too when I ride it
So much so that I need to check myself to make sure I'm not being dangerous to myself or others here in the city
Clive Thompson
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