California Assembly member proposes driver's license for e-bikes

[Jeremy McCreary]

They will regulate and require licenses', registration, insurance etc. Everything must be under their control.

Then what's your solution? There's a real problem here, and ignoring it will ultimately result in more regulation than necessary.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

The whole e-bike story arc is another "this is why we can't have nice things" story.

A small minority of damned fools poisons a good and valuable thing for everybody.

Whether that is obnoxious and unregulated e-bikes that are basically electric motorcycles, obnoxious cyclists endangering innocent bystanders and themselves, or shoddy and ramshackle batteries and chargers causing disastrous fires, we are firmly on track to lose the whole product category.

 

[Ken M]

It would seem reasonable to me, that anyone driving a vehicle of any sort (bike, ebike, scooter, moped ....) on public roads, should at a minimum pass a driver handbook test so they know signage rules and procedures, have ID registration and some sort of insurance coverage...

Bikes have a long history of being a "vehicle" that has use control traffic laws but does not require license, registration, or insurance requirements. I think if those "costs" get imposed on ebikes then they have a far lower appeal to get people out of cars because they simply will not replace car ownership for the vast majority (they can only supplement transportation needs but the more trips done by bike the more healthy someone will be and they will also save money that pays the cost of the ebike).

The federal definition for a Low Speed Electric Bicycle (LSEB) in HR727 is ideal because it met the NHTSA demands to release the legal purview of LSEBs to the CPSC and it also defined them as the equivalent of any other type of bike. Obviously the oil and gas and auto industry doesn't want to this to stand as they know ebikes are capable of reducing total mileage of car trips.

I ride ebikes but I fully respect the traffic laws if I'm on a public road (rare because I tend too only use streets with designated bike lanes) so I get the anger when some spandex wearing road bike rider is riding right down the middle of the street and slowing traffic because they feel it's their right as a legal vehicle. Well in reality it's not because they are supposed to be as far right as possible and few of them respect that. When bikes or ebiks are sharing a sidewalk or multi-use path they need to ride at a safe speed for maneuvering around pedestrians. That said, the few times I've encountered issues with pedestrians it was because they wanted to block me and said bikes didn't belong on the sidewalk (so pedestrians can be idiots as well and maybe Darwin will address that with time).

 

[TinkyWinky]

Licenses', registration, insurance etc Money money money, out of your pockets and into theirs. Simple as that.

 

[Ken M]

Funny I got assurance from the People for Bikes legal counsel that they never wanted to push ebikes in this direction but I told him that the class system would provide the path for the states to require licenses, registration, and insurance on at least Class 3 models just as happened in Europe. '

 

[m@Robertson]

Funny I got assurance from the People for Bikes legal counsel that they never wanted to push ebikes in this direction but I told him that the class system would provide the path for the states to require licenses, registration, and insurance on at least Class 3 models just as happened in Europe. '

You misunderstood the proposed legislation. It is aimed purely, solely at young children who have never had any form of driver education and no rules-of-the-road instruction. They would be the only ones eligible for this education/license - assuming it ever makes it into law in the first place.

It also has nothing whatsoever to do with the class system you are always going on and on about.

 

[TinkyWinky]

Funny I got assurance from the People for Bikes legal counsel that they never wanted to push ebikes in this direction but I told him that the class system would provide the path for the states to require licenses, registration, and insurance on at least Class 3 models just as happened in Europe. '

Just watch. They will do it if it means more money for the city/state.

 

[6zfshdb]

Many towns in my part of the state have a problem with kids getting hurt while riding ATV's. Several have passed ordinances requiring those riders under 16 to be licensed and take a safety course. Most just ignored the law and enforcement was non existent. Although well meaning, it was an exercise in futility.

Maybe on a state level, especially California, such a law would be more effective. I think the principle is a good one though and I hope they can make it work.

 

[m@Robertson]

Maybe on a state level, especially California, such a law would be more effective. I think the principle is a good one though and I hope they can make it work.

No it will be just as futile. Imagine for a moment the police setting up checkpoints and getting IDs from children who may be under 12 years old to see if they are allowed to ride an ebike. Or citing a 13 year old for riding an ebike without carrying their license. I won't argue that there aren't kids out there doing dumb stuff on ebikes, but enforcement will look real stupid real fast if it is even so much as attempted.

Think of how much enforcement goes on for using hand signals on bikes, or for always keeping your headlights on when your windshield wipers are in use. Both of those laws have been around for years here.

 

[Brian-s]

The other downside to that is we already have a problem in America or one out of every three people has some sort of arrest record even if it's just traffic violations. Now we can start that statistic to include minors.

I agree that something needs to be done for people who aren't suitable for writing e-bikes. But as today on the Ohio canal topath showed I'm still more concerned about the high speed fitness junkies then I'm about e-bikers. And I don't think citing/ticketing those people would help much either

 

[Ken M]

You misunderstood the proposed legislation. It is aimed purely, solely at young children who have never had any form of driver education and no rules-of-the-road instruction. They would be the only ones eligible for this education/license - assuming it ever makes it into law in the first place.

It also has nothing whatsoever to do with the class system you are always going on and on about.

Have you noticed that many of the new models have multi-mode programming. 3-class is NOT working. The CPSC still owns what defines a compliant Low Speed Electric Bicycle that is legal for sale in all 50 states.

We can discuss the regulations but I do care about the future of ebikes which will need effective regulations and I still believe the federal definition in HR727 was working for product compliance and the states should have focused on "use" as a bike.

It is heartbreaking to here about a kid being seriously injured in an ebike accident but I'm guessing that in the vast majority of cases it really wasn't related to them being on an ebike...it was just the danger of being on any bike.

 

[J.R.]

 

[Brian-s]

Ah to be young and stupidly immortal again

 

[PDoz]

Interesting to see there's only one female in that group, although scary to consider the genetic implications. Consider the risk / reward / skill combination isn't going to take to compete for her attention, and them amplify that by whatever gene pool she came from!

Having said that , show me another group of kids that size who will go into a convenience store and line up to pay. Or be outside and active instead of stuck behind a screen. Lots of laughter, smiles, even " are you ok" after someone crashes. Give those kids somewhere decent to ride, a bit of leadership culture, and perhaps introduce the option of risk mitigation - there is hope.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Kids do s*it like this in parking lots. To impress the other kids watching. It’s like a side show. This is why we can’t have nice things.

Agreed! Kids need a safe place to ride these emotos. Like maybe an airport runway.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

When bikes or ebiks are sharing a sidewalk or multi-use path they need to ride at a safe speed for maneuvering around pedestrians. That said, the few times I've encountered issues with pedestrians it was because they wanted to block me and said bikes didn't belong on the sidewalk (so pedestrians can be idiots as well and maybe Darwin will address that with time).

Everywhere I've ever lived, bikes did NOT belong on sidewalks by law.

I want pedestrians to stay out of my safe zones —i.e., designated bike lanes. (Big problem here in coastal SoCal, especially with runners.) Hard to expect compliance if bikers feel free to invade sidewalks, the pedestrians' safe zones.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I’ll admit. I’ve taken the sidewalk. Only when there is road construction and it is unsafe to merge with traffic that isn’t letting you in, because they are in a hurry. On the sidewalk, I travel at 8 mph ringing my bell.