Front page LA Times today regarding Ebikes

[PedalUma]

There is a small gang of them in my town. No helmets, full speed, without pedaling. That is what makes for a crack down with a broad brush. I went for a ride this morning then stopped for a snack. Here is the snack and the context. Those kids live in public housing and have no guidance.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

There is a small gang of them in my town. No helmets, full speed, without pedaling. That is what makes for a crack down with a broad brush. I went for a ride this morning then stopped for a snack. Here is the snack and the context. Those kids live in public housing and have no guidance.

Some snack! Some pretty interesting bikes, too. I'd like to see more of the white and red ones in the 2nd photo. Did you build any of these?

Carlsbad is affluent by any standard. No evidence of adult guidance here, either. In fact, wouldn't be surprised if the kids here get even less.

 

[Rexlion]

As I watch the school kids sow chaos on their ebikes in Carlsbad, I get the distinct feeling that their parents just bought them ebikes and let them loose on the world. No parental guidance necessary.

Teach them courtesy and respect for others? Impress on them why we have traffic laws? Explain to them how momentum works? Insist that they wear helmets?

Nah, just let 'em loose.

Weeding the low-wisdom humans out of the gene pool.

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

Weeding the low-wisdom humans out of the gene pool.

Steady supply of organ donors.

 

[PedalUma]

If I recall, Bush the 2nd said, Men don't have 'angina, laughing to Cheney. Cheney and Jobs both got parts from the same kid, the same day, without a helmet. Is it the whole reason for "Class 4" bikes?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Steady supply of organ donors.

Small consolation if they manage to kill bikeway and trail access for ebikes before they're gone.

Carlsbad had 2 ebike-involved deaths last summer. One was probably a car's fault, but everyone here sees the chaos ebikes are causing, so that doesn't count for much.

In response, the city council declared a state of public safety emergency, which gave them the authority to impose some pretty stiff (but probably necessary) temporary restrictions on bikes in general and ebikes in particular. In late 2022, these measures became permanent city ordinances, and the police got serious about enforcing them -- for a while.

If the council perceives a continued public safety threat, they won't hesitate to enact more draconian measures. And that LA Times article will surely be taken as evidence of public support.

The only thing that gives me hope is the huge public investment in regional bike infrastructure made here in the last 2 decades or so. That will give some cover to bikes in general at county level.

But ebikes are the ones exploding out of control. And since they're pretty easy to spot, they could easily be targeted with specific countermeasures.

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

Small consolation if they manage to kill bikeway and trail access for ebikes before they're gone.

Carlsbad had 2 ebike-involved deaths last summer. One was probably a car's fault, but everyone here sees the chaos ebikes are causing, so that doesn't count for much.

In response, the city council declared a state of public safety emergency, which gave them the authority to impose some pretty stiff (but probably necessary) temporary restrictions on bikes in general and ebikes in particular. In late 2022, these measures became permanent city ordinances, and the police got serious about enforcing them -- for a while.

If the council perceives a continued public safety threat, they won't hesitate to enact more draconian measures. And that LA Times article will surely be taken as evidence of public support.

The only thing that gives me hope is the huge public investment in regional bike infrastructure made here in the last 2 decades or so. That will give some cover to bikes in general at county level.

But ebikes are the ones exploding out of control. And since they're pretty easy to spot, they could easily be targeted with specific countermeasures.

Last time we were out in San Diego I was surprised by how careless/fast the e-bikes/scooters were riding along the beach walking paths (highly congested areas) without concern for people walking/crossing to the beach from parking lots. I am a supporter for sure of e-bikes but after seeing how dangerous that was there definitely needs to be some guidance/patrolling/rules etc.

 

[Taylor57]

Probably just a matter of time as to when Ebikes will require a special permit including mandatory insurance and registration. Not so much due to safety concerns but more as a revenue stream for our broken down antiquated transportation apparatus...

 

[m@Robertson]

... but after seeing how dangerous that was there definitely needs to be some guidance/patrolling/rules etc.

Thing is... all of these laws already exist. With all this talk of the need for special permits and whatnot, people have forgotten that if an ordinary bicycle goes too fast and clips or even so much as scares someone, that is already against the law. The existing laws simply need to be enforced. There is ZERO need for any new laws or regulations. In the Monterey area there are now cops on ebikes on the paths here and there. I wish I knew how many normal cyclists they cite as analog riders on a commute are the real problem in that area.

 

[Nvreloader]

YA,
Press hard 4 copies, keep at it until you get compliance
regardless what they are riding,
when you start taking $$ out of the pocket book,
most learn real fast.....

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

Probably just a matter of time as to when Ebikes will require a special permit including mandatory insurance and registration. Not so much due to safety concerns but more as a revenue stream for our broken down antiquated transportation apparatus...

I suspect you're right although I hope not. I've kicked around getting a little moped but the insurance and registration costs hurt the numbers pretty fast compared to an e-bike which is just the purchase price out the door and no ongoing costs.

 

[PedalUma]

I think that local regulation with enforcement in high traffic mixed use recreational areas such as beach fronts is good. These can be seen as local experiments. We will learn what works and what does not. But there are those who commute with their bikes, getting cars off the roads while saving the planet. And those who use eBikes for low impact daily transportation, shopping, local errands. That kind of use should be encouraged. I think that this distinction between Recreation and Transportation is significant.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Probably just a matter of time as to when Ebikes will require a special permit including mandatory insurance and registration. Not so much due to safety concerns but more as a revenue stream for our broken down antiquated transportation apparatus...

If that time comes, I think it will be driven in no small part by legitimate public safety concerns -- at least here in highly impacted coastal San Diego County, where much work has already been done to get people out of cars.

Greatly stepped-up enforcement of bike laws may well be our last chance for salvation around here. If registration fees were to result in lavishly funded enforcement, I'd be delighted.

 

[PedalUma]

There is a nice Multi-Use Path (MUP) between Mill Valley and Sausalito. A tourist area. The signs are clear, slow for peds, stay right except when passing. The bike rental place in M.V. charges more than you can believe. It is called Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Still I would rather ride a bike somewhere nice than attend Disneyland, so it is worth it. Standing in line waiting to be safely entertained sucks.

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

There is a nice Multi-Use Path (MUP) between Mill Valley and Sausalito. A tourist area. The signs are clear, slow for peds, stay right except when passing. The bike rental place in M.V. charges more than you can believe. It is called Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Still I would rather ride a bike somewhere nice than attend Disneyland, so it is worth it. Standing in line waiting to be safely entertained sucks.
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We left for Frisco on your Como
The battery running low
I've never been much of a gambler
And had a preference to fly
You said "forget about the airline,
Let's take the bike and save the fare."
We blew a innertube on the Grapevine
And eighty dollars on repairs
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard (Sausalito summernight)
All aboard

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

There is a nice Multi-Use Path (MUP) between Mill Valley and Sausalito. A tourist area. The signs are clear, slow for peds, stay right except when passing. The bike rental place in M.V. charges more than you can believe. It is called Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Still I would rather ride a bike somewhere nice than attend Disneyland, so it is worth it. Standing in line waiting to be safely entertained sucks.
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Looks like that path has been upraded/extended quite a bit since I rode it back in the early-mid 1980s.

We were lucky enough to live in Sausalito then -- so many great MTB rides right from the house, including my favorite from Wolfback Ridge down to Rodeo Beach, then up to the WWII batteries at the top of Conzelman Road. Never tired of the spectacular overlooks of the Golden Gate, San Francisco, and the southern Marin coast.

 

[mschwett]

Looks like that path has been upraded/extended quite a bit since I rode it back in the early-mid 1980s.

We were lucky enough to live in Sausalito then -- so many great MTB rides right from the house, including my favorite from Wolfback Ridge down to Rodeo Beach, then up to the WWII batteries at the top of Conzelman Road. Never tired of the spectacular overlooks of the Golden Gate, San Francisco, and the southern Marin coast.

i ride up conzelman past the batteries and back out rodeo valley a couple times a week. never gets old.

i think the answer is fairly simple - powered vehicles of any kind (scooters, bikes, etc) should not be allowed with their motors on on congested shared paths. separate or street side bike lanes should be provided in all such areas. a similar problem here along the embarcadero has long been solved with a bike lane in the street, although it’s still technically legal to ride a bike on the sidewalk/promenade in this location. (unlike most sidewalks.) some scooter users still ride on the sidewalk, but not many, as it’s noted in about 500 places that it’s illegal.

 

[old dude]

I believe this is the article, if you don’t want to download the pdf.

On Orange County beaches, proliferation of e-bikes brings battle to the boardwalk

The growing popularity of e-bikes has created a conundrum for Orange County cities as they try to balance state climate goals with concerns about rider and pedestrian safety.

www.latimes.com

How many ebikes have run over people and killed them? I think cars win that debate. I would worry about the thousands of homeless people causing problems first.

 

[Asher]

I never heard how it was settled but am glad it was. He could have died when hitting a black horse at night. Regarding helmets, parents in So. Cal let their inexperienced daughter ride off on a powerful eBike without a helmet in hilly Palos Verdes. Within several minutes she was dead. This happened in August of '22. Now they are suing the maker of the bike. But kids under 18 are in violation of the law without a helmet. Whose fault is that? For those who don't know LA, Palos Verdes is a hilly peninsula that juts out into the Pacific. The air is clean, not like the rest of LA, and it is about 10 degrees cooler in the summer.
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The lawsuit is also about whether the bike failed or not. Two small people on an ebike is not outside the stated, it's not clear that the bike had a catastrophic mechanical failure or not.

If it did, Rad may have to pay out in the lawsuit. We all know how the cheap brands use QR skewers when the traditional industry uses thru axles for disc brakes.

As I watch the school kids sow chaos on their ebikes in Carlsbad, I get the distinct feeling that their parents just bought them ebikes and let them loose on the world. No parental guidance necessary.

Teach them courtesy and respect for others? Impress on them why we have traffic laws? Explain to them how momentum works? Insist that they wear helmets?

Nah, just let 'em loose.

Parents are like, Isn't that the whole point of getting them ebikes instead of cars, we can just let them run hog wild...

 

[Rexlion]

There is a nice Multi-Use Path (MUP) between Mill Valley and Sausalito. A tourist area. The signs are clear, slow for peds, stay right except when passing. The bike rental place in M.V. charges more than you can believe. It is called Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Still I would rather ride a bike somewhere nice than attend Disneyland, so it is worth it. Standing in line waiting to be safely entertained sucks.
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Funny, when I saw the green dot with the pointing index finger, I thought, "Hmm, shouldn't the red dot show the raised middle finger and the saying, "Chastise rule breakers"?