Clive ThompsonMay 21, 2024

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

#fedibikes

Show threadKirsten MillarMay 21, 2024

@clive I think people are riding e-bikes that may not be familiar with the rules of the road/paths for biking and it may be beneficial to start some sort of educational component (with any motorized mobility) about how to be respectful and safe while having fun!! I love my e-bikes but I hate seeing other e-bikes maneuvering recklessly (acoustic bikers do this too, but e-bikes add mass and speed)

I live in boulder, CO, an epicenter of e-biking, we’ve ebiked here for 6 years

Show threadAurora - NOW celestiallavendar@icedoatmilk@coffeeMay 21, 2024
@KirstenAnne @clive I feel like this is missing the point of why people choose to ride bikes on the sidewalk and in other pedestrian areas. Sure some people don't know, but most people know just fine but also don't feel safe with any other option.

If we expect that the problem can be fixed by simply educating bikes that they need to risk their life riding in car traffic then it will never be fixed.

People don't want to bike along side cars, or on poorly spaced bike lanes along roads with no protection. Expecting them to do so instead of using the well maintained and grade separated sidewalk will never work.
Show threadKirsten MillarMay 21, 2024

@clive @spots1000 it’s a weird thing in boulder, I often feel safer on a road than a path because I can ride defensively and cautiously and predict what others (mostly cars) will do, good or bad.

On bike paths, there is no rhyme or reason, people pass each other in insane ways, dogs dart out from owners, small kids are on them. Paths feel incredibly problematic when e-bikes are traveling on narrow spaces with limited visibility at speeds exceeding 15 miles per hour.

Show threadKirsten Millar
@clive @spots1000 I’m not really talking about sidewalks… I’m referring to wide multimodal paths that we are so lucky to have here in Boulder. Maybe that’s a differentiator. 🤷‍♀️
May 21, 2024 at 4:40pmWeb
Show threadAurora - NOW celestiallavendar@icedoatmilk@coffeeMay 21, 2024
@KirstenAnne @clive I'm familiar with the types of paths you're talking about, but in my opinion if it's a path dedicated to pedestrian traffic then it's not truly a multimodal path suitable for bike traffic. Pedestrians can cause just as many problems for bikes as cars do, although usually less lethal.