CPSC seeks feedback on revisions to e-bike regulations

[Dewey]

BRAIN reports the CPSC is accepting comments from the bicycle industry, retailers, and members of the public, on revisions to US regulations around “low-speed electric bicycle” as described in 15 U.S.C. 2085(b). BRAIN reports at this time "CPSC is gathering comments on rules that would regulate the mechanical aspects of e-bikes, but not issues related to lithium-ion battery safety, which the commission is considering separately." The commenting period will remain open until May 15.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

interesting to read through, no real comment from me i just hope they don't require registration and insurance anytime soon even though i could see the argument for it, makes the economics of ownership a lot more palatable. i also hope they don't get banned on bike paths because thats another real perk to use because most bike lanes are really dangerous.

 

[jabberwocky]

interesting to read through, no real comment from me i just hope they don't require registration and insurance anytime soon even though i could see the argument for it, makes the economics of ownership a lot more palatable. i also hope they don't get banned on bike paths because thats another real perk to use because most bike lanes are really dangerous.

Not sure either of those are on the table for the CPSC. Financial responsibility/insurance is largely a matter of state law. Legal use of paths is all over the place but usually under some local jurisdiction/park department/something like that. They do tend to follow state law, and most state laws follows the model legislation PFB puts out. CPSC basically defines safety standards at point of sale.

Probably the biggest thing they could hit is removing some types of ebikes from the legal definition of ebike (like, if they changed the rule to say that a low speed electric bicycle can't assist above 20mph that would effectively remove class 3s from the legal definition and clear the way for states to ban or regulate them more like motorcycles/mopeds). Hard to see that happening but who knows.

From the article:

According to the notice, the CPSC identified several hazard patterns related to studied e-bike injuries. They include the conspicuity of e-bikes to pedestrians and operators of other vehicles, the size and weight of the e-bike and rider, the speed and acceleration of e-bikes, their braking performance, component durability, integrity of frames, and helmet performance.


The notice said the CPSC concluded that its current standards for regular bikes are inadequate for e-bikes, as are voluntary industry standards. It said available international standards are inadequate because they don't address the higher speeds that e-bikes sold in the U.S. are capable of.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

thanks for clarifying, i would say anecdotally i really struggle to go much over 20 mph on my e-bike, most rides i cruise around 15-18 mph and feel very comfortable while also moving along nicely. i topped it out at 28mph on PAS 5 and really everything over 20mph felt pretty unsafe especially for bike paths. i just didn't feel like i would be able to stop safely if something went out in front me unexpected and i didn't feel fully in control of the bike over 20 mph. i'm of the opinion that these electric powered devices like e-bikes, scooters, hoverboards will just keep flying under the radar for the next few years with a few random bans here and there but no real substantial rules.

 

[PedalUma]

Micro-mobility is the future. It takes cars off the road and ends wasteful heat island lifeless parking lots. Water cannot percolate a parking lot. Parking is a real estate waste we all pay for in higher prices. That space can be reused in beneficial ways. An electric Hyundai goes from zero to sixty in 3.4 seconds, a Tesla 2.9 seconds. Regulate cars and create a safe green micro-mobility paradise network where everything you need is within 15 minutes. I do not like to ride class 3 bikes over 24 in safe conditions. That is also near the top end for human powered analog bikes. Bikes are not a threat to drivers it is the other way around. Focus on the real threat and real problem such as rolling coal and not on micro-mobility solutions.

 

[PedalUma]

There is a popular grocery store in my downtown that has almost 20 employees working at any given time. If they all drive a car, that means 20 prime downtown parking spaces. If they all rode bikes and scooters, that takes up two parking spaces because you can fit 10 bikes per one car parking space. With less parked cars we can have wide dedicated and protected bike lanes, so everyone will feel safe riding and want to ride more than drive. It takes me 12 minutes on a bike to cross town. In a car it takes 24 minutes plus 5 to find parking and to walk from parking.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

with overall costs going up so quick with inflation, it makes you wonder what will give first, my bet for some people it will be cars between housing, food, cars. i have found my quality of life and budget to be in a much better situation since i got rid of my car years ago (still have one car for our family but i try to bike most days to the office). maybe you have read it or recommended it on the forum but somehow i came across the book paved paradise a few months back and found it pretty wild. lots of dead money going towards parking and a lot of inflated prices in stores and apartments/condos for parking requirements. im not a developer and don't plan to become one, but that book was fascinating on how much of new development costs are due to meeting parking requirements. Culdesac Tempe was just getting going as I moved out of Phoenix, I'm curious if anyone here has checked it out, supposedly a car-free type neighborhood, looked really cool.

 

[jabberwocky]

The CPSC isn't really in the business of promoting cycling as a lifestyle or anything like that. They are an independent government agency focused solely on consumer product safety regulations. So all they really look at is whether products are unnecessarily risky and make decisions on regulations (or bans) to control that risk.

According to the article, the CPSC has already "made a preliminary determination that new safety standards are needed and plans to develop new standards to address these risks." The concern here is that they decide to change how ebikes are defined in a way that throws the market a curveball or places limits on bikes that are legal to ride today.

Doesn't seem to be anything proposed at the moment, its all in the preliminary phase. But its something to keep a close eye on.

 

[PedalUma]

They also require that new bikes come with or are offered the option of front, rear, and side reflectors. The thing about safety is that a lot has to do with context. A bike could be perfectly safe in most contexts until you get doored in a tight urban context. A bike could be great, unless it is direct to consumer and not assembled correctly. I saw a one-star review of a Target bike where the guy had the fork backwards and the cables in a knot. It had a sticker that said FRONT.

 

[Ken M]

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was established in 1972 largely based on the federal government's authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce.
While the primary purpose of the CPSC was to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from consumer products, the legal foundation for its power relies on controlling and defining products that move through, or affect, interstate commerce.
In essence, the CPSC was formed to address national safety issues (the goal) by utilizing the Constitution's Commerce Clause (the legal mechanism).

 

[stompandgo]

Well then, they've done a superbly crappy job with all of that power. States are rushing to limit e-bikes and meanwhile 10,000+ watt 60mph scooters are ignored.

 

[PedalUma]

@stompandgo,
More importantly they require dork disks and reflectors on $10,000 road bikes.

 

[stompandgo]

@stompandgo,
More importantly they require dork disks and reflectors on $10,000 road bikes.

What are dork disks and reflectors?

 

[PedalUma]

What are dork disks and reflectors?

I once made a bike with two dork discs, left and right, for redundancy just incase one failed. Do that on your boss' bike when he is not looking.

 

[Chargeride]

Cycling to work is often portrayed as smiling, healthy meta humans gliding through perfectly manicured cyclepaths , cruising past trendy coffee shops and and waving to Mrs Jones.

I cycle...manually...to work for 5 years, and I exposed myself to considerable extra risk everyday, attacked by kids, jumped on by adults, nearly run over by trucks literally hundreds of times.
I was frozen, soaked, punctured and when I got to work the doorman went through a morning ritual of humiliation of making me wait to open the turnstile emergency door so I could park my bike, and repeat on leaving.
At one point they decided I had to park the bike then return to go through the turnstile with my pass fob.

To make it worse I had to set off riding past my car, which I have considerable money invested in insurance, roadtax and depreciation.

The upsides were fitness, but that was offset by lunchtime drinking because I could ride home on the bike .
And I can absolutely confirm if I had an ebike I would doung the same.

You cant pick anything up bigger than a backpack fit, or get anywhere in an emergency, if you nip out to the shops, the doorman ritual becomes four times a day, then youve got to carry a lock and be stressed by slow service while your bike is being eyed up in the street.

I can really appreciate why people drive and the western blob seems to agree.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Cycling to work is often portrayed as smiling, healthy meta humans gliding through perfectly manicured cyclepaths , cruising past trendy coffee shops and and waving to Mrs Jones.

I cycle...manually...to work for 5 years, and I exposed myself to considerable extra risk everyday, attacked by kids, jumped on by adults, nearly run over by trucks literally hundreds of times.
I was frozen, soaked, punctured and when I got to work the doorman went through a morning ritual of humiliation of making me wait to open the turnstile emergency door so I could park my bike, and repeat on leaving.
At one point they decided I had to park the bike then return to go through the turnstile with my pass fob.

To make it worse I had to set off riding past my car, which I have considerable money invested in insurance, roadtax and depreciation.

The upsides were fitness, but that was offset by lunchtime drinking because I could ride home on the bike .
And I can absolutely confirm if I had an ebike I would doung the same.

You cant pick anything up bigger than a backpack fit, or get anywhere in an emergency, if you nip out to the shops, the doorman ritual becomes four times a day, then youve got to carry a lock and be stressed by slow service while your bike is being eyed up in the street.

It is because you live in a specific country, location and there are many circumstances that make a bike commute inconvenient to you. While many friends of mine commute in Warsaw on bikes and e-bikes, perhaps except the harsh winter. Moreover, old people of Poland, especially the poor, have the bike as the only way to function, all year long. I'm so impressed with all these very old countryside grandpas and grandmas denying the weather all year long!

I can really appreciate why people drive and the western blob seems to agree.

If you lived in my location, you would need to waste around half an hour to get out of the place and get in because of the massive traffic jam. Fancy you need to get to a grocery store for anything. First, you need to defrost and desnow your car totally, and you must not do it on the idle. Then you start your car and get in the same bog of traffic jam... While I can ride anywhere on my e-bike at any time, and nothing stops me.

 

[Chargeride]

Yes, thats very true Stefan, but Im watching electric cars get auto preheat, instant heaters, self driving, cold resistant batteries, robotaxis..while theres very little improvement in the total experience for a cyclist outside of cycle lanes, I can only imagine cycling through ghettos in the US or even our tamer versions.

The issue is the money put into owning a car, Ive paid up front for the thing, 100 quid a month to tax and insure, the petrol to nip the shops is pocket change.

If cars were free, but gas was 50 dollars a gallon everything would change.

Also youre the tank commander, you would pedal car if you could

I was reading the delivery tracking for my camera, it moved from the mainwarehouse at 2.15am, through several more and was at the courier by 6.15.

Those hidden night workers, cant imagine they would be cycling to work even in the summer

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I get the gist of what you are saying.

Those hidden night workers, cant imagine they would be cycling to work even in the summer

I live by a huge logistic base. Perhaps it's hard to believe but the night workers commute by bike, e-bike, or an e-scooter (often a public share one) all year long. They ride the access street just below my balcony! Bear in mind, these menial workers do not earn much. You also need to realise Poland's courier services are about the cheapest in Europe. Fancy paying less than 3 quid for shipment by courier!

 

[Roamers]

Fancy you need to get to a grocery store for anything. First, you need to defrost and desnow your car totally, and you must not do it on the idle. Then you start your car and get in the same bog of traffic jam...

Not true if you pick a geat location and a house with a garage.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Not true if you pick a geat location and a house with a garage.

Europe is not the U.S.