Recent content by Ken M

I actually think that is very important point!!!

Regulating ebikes is challenging because you have brands promoting e-motos that have functional pedals as ebikes. This is highly risky because if someone riding something that is not a compliant ebike hits and harms a pedestrian they are on an illegal vehicle that can create huge liabilities. I...

There was a perception that European spec'd ebikes could not be sold in the US so there was some merit of the 3-class legislation to harmonize the US market with the much larger ebike market in Europe. The downside was that class 3 (same as speed pedelecs in Europe) could have registration...

Bosch and other industry leaders contributed millions of dollars to the advocacy group PeopleForBikes to draft and lobby for the standardized 3-class e-bike legislation across the U.S. [1, 2] Key Details of the Lobbying and 3-Class System: Industry Funding: Bosch, alongside the former Bicycle...

Can you tell me what is "unclear" about HR727? The Federal regulation as defined by HR727 was intended to regulated interstate commerce to define what is a compliant "low speed electric bicycles" that can be sold in all 50 states. The intent was for this to be "use" regulated by the states...

Seitelman Law Offices highlights "pedestrian unpredictability". Because e-bikes operate silently, pedestrians frequently step off curbs, out of rideshares, or into designated bike lanes without looking, rendering them partially or fully at fault for failing to yield the right-of-way. I think...

I think the data showing the number of pedestrians injured by ebikers is not easy to find. A recent six-year urban study found that out of all reported e-mobility and bike-related emergency room visits, approximately 7.5% were pedestrian injuries involving e-bikes, traditional bicycles, and...

Spandexters have never been the riders to look towards for fashion or common sense.

Essentially what Washington State has done is killed the Class 3 ebike and returned to what was defined in HR727 for a compliant "low speed electric bike" that can be sold in all 50 states. I wonder if the people that already own Class 3 ebikes will petition for grand fathering of those ebikes...

No matter how many times I mention it, nobody ever reads HR727 which is the federal definition for what is a compliant "low speed electric bicycle" that can be sold in all 50 states. It does not define a cut-off at 20mph....it states that motor alone speed is limited to 20mph on level surface...

Well I rode an ebike in the Denver area over 6000 miles one year and never did I see a biker hazardously riding thru pedestrians. I hear all these horror stories that pedestrians are claiming but I wonder if they are walking in road side bike lanes where bikers are going a bit faster (there are...

Somewhat accurate but the definition of compliance was intended to be HR727 and states were supposed to retain "use" regulations of compliant "low speed electric bicycles" as same as traditional bikes. There was one "class" that allowed full power to 20mph and limited assist beyond that speed -...

C'mon....bikers don't want to get hurt so common sense is that they will slow down when there are pedestrians. This does not advance the bike safety debate whatsover as it sounds like saying "they have WMDs."

Historically for non-electric bikes, "classifications" referred to the type of bike (e.g., Road, Mountain, Gravel, Commuter, Cruiser, Trike, Recumbent). Obviously depending on intended use the bike designs were optimized for that use. Doesn't mean you could not ride a mountain bike as a commuter...

Do we really need to parse a "low speed electric bicycle" as defined by HR727 into classes. As performance changes / increases there are different product classifications - ebike/moped/motorcycle/etc. Some companies are putting functional pedals on what essentially are mopeds or motorcycles and...