My electric scooter has been my salvation. At 60 I have become increasingly uncomfortable riding a bicycle in traffic but I am quite comfortable riding the scooter. The standing position with no bar between my legs makes me feel safer. For years I did most of my trips in a car while my bike languished in the basement. Last year I bought a scooter and it got me out of my car so much that I just replaced it with a faster one! The problem I'm seeing now is Street design. I think that when it was just cars and bikes it was easier to define space. The explosion in the last couple of years of small e-mobility seems to have made the roads chaotic. If the city doesn't get on this quickly I see it getting really bad. We are long past due deprioritizing cars here.
"I think that when it was just cars and bikes it was easier to define space. The explosion in the last couple of years of small e-mobility seems to have made the roads chaotic." Well cycle-specific infrastructure is also good for mobility scooters, scooters, and so on. Bicycles and cars sharing the same space was not a good idea.
In the UK thea assit disengages at 15mph, a speed attainable by most people, so (legally) people won't be going that fast. Of course people can break the law but then they could also cycle on paths they were not allowed on. But under normal circumstances e bikes don't pose much of a problem. Netherlands has many and people us the cycle paths fine.
I believe there is a potentially large swath of people (I am one of them) who will not switch from a car to a bicycle but will switch (partially) from occur to an ebike or scooter because in the city it's actually significantly faster to get places than it is in a car.
Regulated or not I'm fine with either but regulation won't solve the problem. It's a design issue. There's not really enough room on the streets and a disproportionate amount of space is given over to cars
Hey Bruce, ebikes are a great adjunct to a car and can replace a second car. Read Lloyd's article carefully. Safe bike lanes are key. I have a trailer for my ebike: can definitely bring home our family groceries and other stuff no problem. Many are designed to carry kids too. Try one! They are so fun you will be looking for an excuse to ride it.
I was in downtown Phoenix this past Friday for a theatrical play and there were quite a few e-bikes whizzing by. Problem is, they're driving on the sidewalks at full speed, weaving in and out of pedestrian traffic and being very unsafe both to themselves and bystanders alike. I like the idea of e-bikes in certain places and for certain reasons, but when every young person with an indestructible mindset is on them acting irresponsibly, I have an issue with it. E-bikes come with their own challenges; it's not a panacea for reducing emissions and the number of vehicles on the road.
Agree, I would much rather all the 17 year olds being reckless on scooters and bikes to be driving around in Dodge Chargers and lifted Super Duties (sarcasm).
Then build cycling infrastructure for people to use instead of being scared off because of cars on the road. E bikes are still vastly less dangerous than cars. Far more people have been killed on pavements by cars than by bikes or e bikes.
Making people aware of how much it actually costs to drive 5 miles to drop kids off at soccer practice, instead of taking a bike, could be part of a good messaging campaign. $4 vs 40 cents? Cost to get your kid an ebike and a bus pass vs a $15k car with insurance, etc? Ebikes can be an absolute financial game changer for middle class suburban families.
And an aging population should absolutely embrace ebikes, can give many more years of freedom if we invest in the infrastructure for safe riding.
If you can find an e-bike that is capable of carrying you as the driver AND the kids—as in, PLURAL—to soccer practice, good luck. I'd like to see that beast.
In the Netherlands kids can cycle independently. Gives them much more freedom and they aren't reliant on their parents ferrying them around everywhere.
I live near a cycle path (canal tow path) which I use both on my e-bike and as a pedestrian (dog walker). The dangerous, inconsiderate cyclists, who don't seem to want to acknowledge that it is shared space, are not usually the older e-bikers but athletic young(ish) men on ATBs with no warning devices, heavily encased in helmets and goggles, who seem to think they have priority and it's entirely up to the walker to get out of their way.
E-Bikes are very appealing. For all the many eco reasons. Unfortunately they are heavy and for an aging population may not easily be picked up. More importantly the risk of injury from motor vehicles precludes considering getting a pair for us. If there were dedicated bike paths separated from motor vehicles that would be fine, but for shopping (where do you put a trunks worth of groceries?) etc. that by nature requires exposure to public motor vehicle streets. Recreational use... possibly but for a replacement of a car not as a practical reality unfortunately.
A trunk's worth of groceries would fit into most cargo bikes. I think the bigger issue is keeping the whole setup secure--most places outside major cities have bike racks that expect you to lock them to the front wheel (since when was that ever a good idea), if they have them at all.
There are great e-bikes coming out that are designed for an aging population- lower, more stable, with big racks for carrying groceries. But as you say, safe bike lanes are key.
Bruce. I'm 77 years old. Yes, ebikes are heavy. Consider a manual bicycle - much lighter and therefore easier to carry up a flight of stairs (as I do daily with my manual bicycle). I was pleasantly surprised how well my manual bicycle met my needs as I transitioned completely away from using an automobile between 2017 to 2020. Since 2020 I average about 3 miles a day on my manual bicycle in Seattle (I walk up the steep hills pushing the bike). I was also pleasantly surprised how much cargo I could carry once I added a cargo basket (with a long strap to lash down the cargo) to the back of the bicycle. Bicycling on the sidewalk is legal in the State of Washington (make it legal everywhere), so I do most (but not all) of my bicycling on the sidewalk to distance myself from automobiles.
Pedestrians and bikes mix better than cars and bikes - it is the immensely safer option. From a practical standpoint, a complete system of cycle paths is never going to happen, and an incomplete system takes time to implement. In Seattle we continue to make progress on creating and expanding a system of cycle paths, but the system will never be complete. Pedestrians and bikes mixing is working.
I don't think they mix well at all. Their speeds are very different. If having to stop and constantly navigate around pedestrians is what you consider good, you need to see more places. USA is a terrible example. It only works when the pedestrian count is so low there are few interactions.
As for your second point, you don't cycle paths everywhere. Most roads shouldn't be carrying through traffic anyway as they aren't designed from it. Such motion should be filtered so that the numbers of cars is very low, and they should be travelling at slow speeds.
For the main roads or through routes, there should be cycle paths. That's how you get a network that covers all roads.
I find that most often "the pedestrian count is so low there are few interactions". "Their speeds are very different" is not true if the cyclist pedals at modest speeds when pedestrians are present - as should be the case - as is the case in my experience.
Which makes it far less convenient to cycle because you have to go at near walking speeds. You only cycle 3 miles a day so not a big deal. When you start having to cycle further distances that is impractical. No serious cycling country shares these modes by default.
My electric scooter has been my salvation. At 60 I have become increasingly uncomfortable riding a bicycle in traffic but I am quite comfortable riding the scooter. The standing position with no bar between my legs makes me feel safer. For years I did most of my trips in a car while my bike languished in the basement. Last year I bought a scooter and it got me out of my car so much that I just replaced it with a faster one! The problem I'm seeing now is Street design. I think that when it was just cars and bikes it was easier to define space. The explosion in the last couple of years of small e-mobility seems to have made the roads chaotic. If the city doesn't get on this quickly I see it getting really bad. We are long past due deprioritizing cars here.
"I think that when it was just cars and bikes it was easier to define space. The explosion in the last couple of years of small e-mobility seems to have made the roads chaotic." Well cycle-specific infrastructure is also good for mobility scooters, scooters, and so on. Bicycles and cars sharing the same space was not a good idea.
Large, fast e-bikes, E-scooters etc sharing the same space with bikes is also a not a good idea.
In the UK thea assit disengages at 15mph, a speed attainable by most people, so (legally) people won't be going that fast. Of course people can break the law but then they could also cycle on paths they were not allowed on. But under normal circumstances e bikes don't pose much of a problem. Netherlands has many and people us the cycle paths fine.
I believe there is a potentially large swath of people (I am one of them) who will not switch from a car to a bicycle but will switch (partially) from occur to an ebike or scooter because in the city it's actually significantly faster to get places than it is in a car.
So how fast can they go? If too fast, they should be regulated like vespas
Regulated or not I'm fine with either but regulation won't solve the problem. It's a design issue. There's not really enough room on the streets and a disproportionate amount of space is given over to cars
Hey Bruce, ebikes are a great adjunct to a car and can replace a second car. Read Lloyd's article carefully. Safe bike lanes are key. I have a trailer for my ebike: can definitely bring home our family groceries and other stuff no problem. Many are designed to carry kids too. Try one! They are so fun you will be looking for an excuse to ride it.
Spouse and I both have eBikes and each put on 1200 miles this year. (Miles not on the car)
I was in downtown Phoenix this past Friday for a theatrical play and there were quite a few e-bikes whizzing by. Problem is, they're driving on the sidewalks at full speed, weaving in and out of pedestrian traffic and being very unsafe both to themselves and bystanders alike. I like the idea of e-bikes in certain places and for certain reasons, but when every young person with an indestructible mindset is on them acting irresponsibly, I have an issue with it. E-bikes come with their own challenges; it's not a panacea for reducing emissions and the number of vehicles on the road.
Agree, I would much rather all the 17 year olds being reckless on scooters and bikes to be driving around in Dodge Chargers and lifted Super Duties (sarcasm).
Then build cycling infrastructure for people to use instead of being scared off because of cars on the road. E bikes are still vastly less dangerous than cars. Far more people have been killed on pavements by cars than by bikes or e bikes.
Ebikes should have a speed-limited sidewalk mode.
Making people aware of how much it actually costs to drive 5 miles to drop kids off at soccer practice, instead of taking a bike, could be part of a good messaging campaign. $4 vs 40 cents? Cost to get your kid an ebike and a bus pass vs a $15k car with insurance, etc? Ebikes can be an absolute financial game changer for middle class suburban families.
And an aging population should absolutely embrace ebikes, can give many more years of freedom if we invest in the infrastructure for safe riding.
If you can find an e-bike that is capable of carrying you as the driver AND the kids—as in, PLURAL—to soccer practice, good luck. I'd like to see that beast.
Bakfiet style cargo bikes can fit my 8 year old, 5 year old, and 3 year old at the same time
In the Netherlands kids can cycle independently. Gives them much more freedom and they aren't reliant on their parents ferrying them around everywhere.
I live near a cycle path (canal tow path) which I use both on my e-bike and as a pedestrian (dog walker). The dangerous, inconsiderate cyclists, who don't seem to want to acknowledge that it is shared space, are not usually the older e-bikers but athletic young(ish) men on ATBs with no warning devices, heavily encased in helmets and goggles, who seem to think they have priority and it's entirely up to the walker to get out of their way.
E-Bikes are very appealing. For all the many eco reasons. Unfortunately they are heavy and for an aging population may not easily be picked up. More importantly the risk of injury from motor vehicles precludes considering getting a pair for us. If there were dedicated bike paths separated from motor vehicles that would be fine, but for shopping (where do you put a trunks worth of groceries?) etc. that by nature requires exposure to public motor vehicle streets. Recreational use... possibly but for a replacement of a car not as a practical reality unfortunately.
A trunk's worth of groceries would fit into most cargo bikes. I think the bigger issue is keeping the whole setup secure--most places outside major cities have bike racks that expect you to lock them to the front wheel (since when was that ever a good idea), if they have them at all.
There are great e-bikes coming out that are designed for an aging population- lower, more stable, with big racks for carrying groceries. But as you say, safe bike lanes are key.
Bruce. I'm 77 years old. Yes, ebikes are heavy. Consider a manual bicycle - much lighter and therefore easier to carry up a flight of stairs (as I do daily with my manual bicycle). I was pleasantly surprised how well my manual bicycle met my needs as I transitioned completely away from using an automobile between 2017 to 2020. Since 2020 I average about 3 miles a day on my manual bicycle in Seattle (I walk up the steep hills pushing the bike). I was also pleasantly surprised how much cargo I could carry once I added a cargo basket (with a long strap to lash down the cargo) to the back of the bicycle. Bicycling on the sidewalk is legal in the State of Washington (make it legal everywhere), so I do most (but not all) of my bicycling on the sidewalk to distance myself from automobiles.
So far my maximum roundtrip bicycling distance is about 20 miles - found it to be easy.
Would be better to build cycle paths than make cycling on sidewalks legal everywhere. Pedestrians and bikes do not mix well, same as cars and bikes.
Pedestrians and bikes mix better than cars and bikes - it is the immensely safer option. From a practical standpoint, a complete system of cycle paths is never going to happen, and an incomplete system takes time to implement. In Seattle we continue to make progress on creating and expanding a system of cycle paths, but the system will never be complete. Pedestrians and bikes mixing is working.
I don't think they mix well at all. Their speeds are very different. If having to stop and constantly navigate around pedestrians is what you consider good, you need to see more places. USA is a terrible example. It only works when the pedestrian count is so low there are few interactions.
As for your second point, you don't cycle paths everywhere. Most roads shouldn't be carrying through traffic anyway as they aren't designed from it. Such motion should be filtered so that the numbers of cars is very low, and they should be travelling at slow speeds.
For the main roads or through routes, there should be cycle paths. That's how you get a network that covers all roads.
I find that most often "the pedestrian count is so low there are few interactions". "Their speeds are very different" is not true if the cyclist pedals at modest speeds when pedestrians are present - as should be the case - as is the case in my experience.
Which makes it far less convenient to cycle because you have to go at near walking speeds. You only cycle 3 miles a day so not a big deal. When you start having to cycle further distances that is impractical. No serious cycling country shares these modes by default.
It is very practical if the infrastructure changed. I do shopping on a normal bike with panniers than can fit 40L.