grueSay NO to Mandatory E-Bike License Plates and Registrations [California]
EponymousBoshLotta people here who apparently aren’t familiar with e-bikes, talking about how e-bikes perform. My RadRunner 2 has only ever hit 27 mph (43 kph?) going downhill on a steep incline, meanwhile I’m getting passed by dudes on $5000 fancy-ass racing bicycles. Not really sure why I’m the one who needs the license.
(Also: I wish e-bikes were the biggest problem on bike paths here in Kentucky. I have encountered Actual Legit Gasoline-Powered Fucking Motorcycles many, many, MANY times on the Louisville Loop.)
F=ma so therefore your ebike is still going to hit harder at the same speed as that ultra light racing bicycle because the e bike is heavier. There is also a skill factor here. It takes practice and skill to get a standard bicycle going that fast whereas anyone can get on an ebike and get it going that fast.
I’m not certain lisencing alone is going to solve the problems but there are some important distinctions between bicycles and ebikes.
infinitesunriseIt takes practice and skill to get a standard bicycle going that fast
It does not. As someone who does regularly do that on rides, I can vet that any able bodied kid can get a road bicycle to hit 40 on a long downhill, first try. The real difference is that they do not go seeking that experience, usually they’re just trying to get somewhere they need to be.
Personally I’m good with “If it has a throttle-driven motor, it’s a motor vehicle” and just doing motor vehicle licenses as we always have. Maybe just lower the permit age if teens need access to motor vehicles, or ask ourselves why we built a society where teens need access to motor vehicles.