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Gary Smith's avatar

As always, the pedestrian is the loser in the end. Now that it's winter here in Toronto those e-bikes with huge fat tires seem to be everywhere downtown (mostly, but not exclusively, delivery drivers).

A couple days ago one ripped past me on the sidewalk, then weaved through a crosswalk filled with pedestrians at high speed. Its giant tires looked like they belonged on a car, and the frame itself was also enormous, with big flat paneled sections of metal. The handlebars were level with my shoulders. wouldn't be surprised if the rider plus vehicle weighed 250 lbs or more. A pedestrian collision could easily be fatal even at a lower speed. Calling that thing a "bike" is really stretching the limits of reality.

But as with everything related to Toronto traffic: rules and vehicle classes and other regulations are pointless when there is zero enforcement. Seeing adults riding regular bikes on crowded sidewalks angers me, but with these things, the selfishness escalates to another level.

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Human Being's avatar

I have a class 1 e-bike, and I try to stick to the speed limits for the bike paths in my city (20 km/h). I regularly get passed by people on analog bikes who cycle like they’re training for the Tour de France. Good for them! It’s genuinely admirable and I think there should be spaces for competitive cyclists to practice their abilities. However, it highlights to me that there are two groups of cyclists in our bike lanes: people who want to go a leisurely 15-20 km/h, and people who want to go fast. Both categories have people who ride analog and electric bikes. On my local bike paths one might find serious athletic cyclists, kids, commuters, parents with young children on Urban Arrow bikes, students running late to class, e-scooters, Surrons, and seniors.

My ideal solution would be to have two bike lanes, a moderate-speed lane and a fast lane. The people who want to go fast can do so without feeling encumbered by slower cyclists. Those who prefer a 20km/h pace can have a lane where they don’t feel vulnerable or burdensome because of faster cyclists.

However, first things first, and I would love to see a broader bike lane network in general. My city is actually considered pretty expansive in terms of bike lanes and we have a large ridership, and yet there are still glaring gaps. For example, one of the most popular bike shops is on a major street with no bike lanes. One can either go on the sidewalk and worry about making pedestrians uneasy or take the risk of riding on a very busy street. We need more bike lanes and better bike lanes everywhere.

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