LITERALLY running using your feet, not trying to run on that piece of crap.
Let the City know what you want to do about e-bikes - official survey
- Thread starter espro
- Start date
LITERALLY running using your feet, not trying to run on that piece of crap.
If you're obese, that thing will be faster!...by a good 2x-4x!
There are so many options!! e.g. 'yes, please'
Wider and slower? I'm a wide and slow person on my bicycle, I guess I shouldn't ever ride it. There's absolutely no way they put passing cyclists at risk; they even have mirrors and so are more likely to be aware of them. They aren't particularly slow either, 32km/h is a perfectly reasonable quick pace for the average cyclist. So they slow down the hyper-cyclists that can keep up with traffic in a 50, well that's a shame, so would I on a regular bicycle.
In any case, what would licensing and insurance do to solve your particular qualms with them? Other than utterly destroy the industry, that is.
I have never (yes, never) seen an e-crap doing anywhere close to 30 km/h in Toronto, and I work in downtown, so I see them every day, on the road and on the sidewalks. Pretty much every e-thing I see moves barely at 10-15 km/h - i.e. max. 2-3 faster than a person walking fast. I'll be glad if that "industry" will get "destroyed" as these contraptions don't belong on our roads. You want a bicycle - get a bicycle. You want a motorized vehicle - get a motorized vehicle. You're disabled - get a motorized wheel chair, which suits your disability. But don't crowd the road and don't put other people at risk.
The law has them moving at a top speed of 32km/h. If they aren't, well I don't know what to say other than I could move at that speed on a bicycle too. They really aren't supposed to move that slow, and perhaps could be written up for impeding in that case (provided there wasn't a hill the likes that would slow even regular cyclists).
The thing that bothers me about this opposition is so many don't seem to think the poor have a right to quick and easy transportation. This industry is a blessing to so many people who maybe can't right a regular bicycle, for whatever reason, but don't wish to be constrained to public transit, and can't afford the outrageously high insurance in Ontario. Perhaps people just don't want to expend the effort to cycle; call them lazy, but they should have the right to choose a low powered (human-level power surrogate such as a 500 watt electric motor), bicycle alternative.
The bottom line is one cannot possibly think up a case where an ebike is a worse problem than a bicycle; speed, size, or otherwise.
So it's basically for those who want a motor vehicle but can't handle the responsibility of owning one, so they get to have one and the responsibility for their screwups is shifted to their victims?
Roomie
Banned
Like I said before, tell me why my neighbour down the road who is in his second suspension for DUI should be allowed to just hop on and go? He lost the right to easy transportation when he drank and drove. Not everyone on an e bike is bad but a lot of people are just using them as a loophole like my neighbour and it shouldn't be allowed. It's a slap in the face to those of us paying insurance and license fees.
A good chunk of the affordability comes from the fact that they aren't responsible for any damage that they cause. They don't have to have insurance, which saves them a good chunk of change and if they cause some damage, good luck getting the money to make up for it from them. That means that we pay to make their mode of transport affordable.
Ugh, well, I made my case. In my opinion and many other people hopefully - yes, ebike is a much worse problem on a road than a bicycle. And yes, if someone is poor and cannot afford to buy a proper motorized vehicle, RIDE THE ROCKET. Feel constrained? Ride a real bicycle to subway station. Feel congested, don't like whatever about TTC/Mississauga Transit? Well, sorry, too bad, suggest to transit responsible councilors on how to improve the system, but don't say that e-bike was your 'solution'.
daught
Well-known member
These are all made up problems. No one's is crying that an ebike damaged their car. Really how many cases of property damage caused by ebikes are there? This is insurance indoctrination and bitterness some poor people caught a break.
matt220
Well-known member
Anyone can cause serious damage to anything using any mode of transportation, even walking... If you think Ontario's insurance premiums are high because we're paying for things like E-bike accidents think again, it's just insurance companies taking people to the bank because no one is stopping them.
I think E-bikes should require a license but not insurance. They are enough like a scooter for people to need to prove they can operate it safely, but enough like a bicycle to not require insurance.
I can get more behind this than anything. I think perhaps a drivers license of any sort would be good enough. Those with suspended licenses *should not* be able to operate these, I fully agree. As far as insurance goes, there is absolutely no reason for an ebike to carry 200k liability plus the thousands in accident benefits. It just doesn't add up!
My opinion depends on what you're classifying as an "e-bike". I think the ones that actually look like bicycles and are basically just bicycles with power assist should be treated as bicycles. But those big stupid scooter things should be off the road (ideally) unless they can match traffic speed and require license and insurance.
Completely agree. I think we are talking mostly about scooter looking plastic contraptions.
They are *exactly* the same! It's literally just some plastic over what would be a bicycle-type frame.
Julz
Well-known member
They probably don't need insurance but what they do need is a license. Too many people riding bikes, scooters, ebikes and they don't know the rules of the road or at least they don't follow em.
