SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
E-bikes are the fastest-growing segment of the bicycle industry. They're popular with commuters and baby boomers who might not otherwise be able to get out on a bicycle.
The bikes, which can cost $2,000 or more, combine the frame of a regular bike with lightweight batteries and electric motors for extra zip.
Their sales jumped 72% to $144 million in the U.S. last year, helping to breathe life into bicycle sales that have been relatively flat, according to the NPD Group, which tracks retail bike sales nationwide.
Their popularity has led to conflict.
In bike-friendly southern California, as local land managers take cues from agencies like the National Park Service, some are banning e-bikes from bicycle paths. That has angered riders, said Morgan Lommele, of PeopleForBikes, a bicycle advocacy group and trade association.
[...] Maine and 21 other states have adopted laws that classify e-bikes into categories. Most are treated like regular bicycles under such laws, said Lommele, who has been working with states to create uniform definitions. Only the fastest e-bikes are restricted to roads.
At Acadia National Park, the e-bikes are welcome on paved roads inside the park and even on dirt roads where cars and trucks are allowed.
But they're not allowed on the 57 miles (92 kilometers) of carriage roads funded and built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. that meander throughout the park, offering stunning views of lakes, mountains and the ocean. The carriage paths are popular with bicyclists.
The only exceptions for e-bikes are for people who qualify for mobility devices under the Americans With Disabilities Act, said Christie Anastasia, park spokeswoman.
Should E-bikes be treated like bicycles or motorcycles when it comes to roads, bike paths, and access?
Related: And One E-bike to Rule Them All: Trek Super Commuter+ 8S Review
New Electric Bikes, Scooters, and Dockless Bicycles Hitting U.S. Streets
Uber Buys Electric Bicycle-Sharing Startup JUMP Bikes
Lyft Acquires America's Largest Bike-Sharing Company, Motivate
Lyft Removes Faulty Electric Bicycles From Three Cities
(Score: 4, Informative) by captain normal on Thursday June 27 2019, @06:45PM (2 children)
TFA is about power assist bikes that really do not go any faster than any mountain bike. The problem is in rules oriented park officials that see "no motorized" vehicles in the rule book and so therefore are going to enforce the rules come hell or high water.
"It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain
(Score: 5, Insightful) by bob_super on Thursday June 27 2019, @08:13PM (1 child)
There are many categories of e-bikes. Those software-limited to 15/20 MPH per local regulations should be allowed anywhere bikes are. Those going 35/45 can have their own regulations, and the over-45 crowd is a motocycle.
There, problem solved, as it is on the other side of the pond (ish, they are too restrictive and forget that human-powered bikes can easily go past 15)
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 28 2019, @02:04AM
Nope. You are talking a rational solution to a cultural issue bicyclists have against the non-purists. Your solution is thus doomed.