Reasons why the ebike is a world beater thread.

International disputes settle on the drag strip with e-vehicles, that would drive development!
 
Now you are talking John. I knew the day I was officially and old curmudgeon, when I got the idea that all speed limits on streets in my town should be lowered to 30 mph, with 25 mph remaining on residential streets and 15 in the school zones.

Wouldn't it be great if they slowed the cars down to bike speed in at least some areas? It's why I have so many complicated routes around town, that rely only on streets with a 25 mph speed limit.

Here in the desert southwest USA, the big deal about an Ebike is sweat. When it's 100+ F you just don't want to pedal farther than 2 miles anymore. But I found that hopping on an ebike and riding 20 mph or so was perfect. Any sweat on you immediately evaporated and cooled you down. Hop in a car the same afternoon, and you have to drive 15 miles before the car AC cools you off. The car interior is well above 120F, and quite likely 160F if you didn't have it parked in some shade. Gone are the days you could park at the store with the windows down.

So ebiking home from work was actually much cooler than any car ride. Even when it's 110 out there. On a day that's 90f, it's perfect comfort on the bike to me. Ebike to work on a summer morning is really a joy, the extra time it took just allowed me to enjoy the sunrise that much more. I also arrived at work warmed up, energized and ready to work hard. In a car, I needed 30 min to get revved up and going once I got to work.
 
dogman said:
...Wouldn't it be great if they slowed the cars down to bike speed in at least some areas? It's why I have so many complicated routes around town, that rely only on streets with a 25 mph speed limit....

You just have the wrong ebike. Cars are slowed to less than ebike speed everywhere I go. I almost never get passed, even on the highway, and when I do it's because I choose to allow the pass. :mrgreen:

BTW, I didn't mean to change the speed limits to 20mph, just make that the fixed speed limit for cars and trucks. Our ebikes would of course be regulated the current posted speed limits. For that kind of swap I wouldn't even mind full lighting requirements and annual fees, as long as the fees are commensurate with cars in terms of a weight comparison. I'd even prepay those fees 5-10 years in advance.
 
Per that Wicked Pee thingee:

In 1757 the artist Louis Philippe Boitard produced a view of the Legal Quays, between Billingsgate Dock and the Tower of London.

Boitard's engraving, 'Imports from France', provided a satirical look at Londoners' passion for French luxury goods and manners. Although Boitard deliberately exaggerated the number of both people and shipping, he also provided the most accurate picture of the Legal Quays at work. Boitard recorded treadwheel cranes, beamscales, Customs' Officers gauging barrels and porters handling cargoes.

Smuggling, theft and pilferage of cargoes were rife on both the busy open wharves and in the crowded warehouses.

And also:
The Tideway (Lower Thames)
The Tideway is a name given to the part of the River Thames in England that is subject to tides. This stretch of water is downstream from Teddington Lock and is in its widest definition just under 160 kilometres (99 mi) long. The Tideway includes the Thames Estuary, Thames Gateway and the Pool of London.

Those wacky Roman guyz... First they invade, then build that bridge across the traffic route, then get comfy.
Londinium.jpg

Not sure, but as I recall there are hundreds of their camp sites (towns) all over (mostly southern) Europe, North Africa, etc.

And from here:
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/western-civilization17/ch/05/visual-evidence.aspx
Prior to Roman imperial expansion, most cities in the ancient world were not planned cities — with the exception of the new settlements established by Alexander the Great, notably Alexandria in Egypt. Rome itself was not carefully planned, but grew up over many centuries, expanding outward and up the slopes of its seven hills from the nucleus of the Forum. By the time of Augustus, it was a haphazard jumble of buildings and narrow streets. Outside of Rome, however, the efficiency of Roman government was in large part due to the uniformity of imperial urban planning. As their colonial reach expanded, Romans sought to ensure that travelers moving within their vast domain would encounter the same amenities in every major city. They also wanted to convey, through the organization of the urban landscape, the ubiquity of Roman authority and majesty.

Point being, Europeans arrived in the Americas (Oh oh.)

... and had better diseases (better weapons too, but perhaps waaay less "eco-friendly")

I know! Lets build various carts! (Cover some with tents.) Chuck that awkward horsey thingee... (other animals).

We got fossil remains! (That burn real good too BTW, e.g. coal.)

Something missing?

EVerybuddy start paving over those muddy cart tracks!

We don't need no steenkin' speed limits! Town etc in the way? Plough it under! (Oh, and sorry `bout that folks. Didn't see those troublesome kids. Honest!)

Fast forward about one century.

Maybe some freedumbs (sp?) come at a price?

Funny perhaps how only ONE HORSE worked OK for those other animals (humans)... for thousands of years.
 
This just in: "Changing China: Bike culture lives on in deadly traffic":
http://www.thespectrum.com/usatoday/article/7608067
"We all rode bikes in the past, and you could cycle as you pleased, there were no specific lanes," says Shi. "Today, people are not used to the car rules and still drive as they please, scrambling to get right of way."
 
zener said:
Lol iwould not ban them. for some work they are irreplaceable.

LockH said:
. . . .just curious, but which personal/"private" vehicle exactly might be "irreplaceable"?)

1971. And it was a newspaper story before it was an ad. Some 60 years earlier people had been discovering their Model T had some uses on the farm.

vwmule.jpg
 
I remember reading/watching something about some cultures consider the bike to be a sign you are poor, what countries constitute that?
I was thinking while riding in central Melbourne on my bike that technically being seen on a bike in inner Melbourne would suggest youve got money because Melbourne has some of the most expensive property in the world and being on a bike would mean I must live somewhere nearby, compare that to living 100km out in the burbs and having a loan to buy a decent looking car..
I guess I am skewing of topic a bit... I guess I could say that by owning an ebike you could ride in from further out into the inner area more easily without breaking a sweat and look well off too ( at least to some one who understands my theory)

http://www.arrow-capital.com/MediaUpdates/ArrowInsightsBlog/tabid/408/ctl/ArchiveView/mid/1477/month/6/year/2012/Default.aspx#.U0o6cPmSySo
 

Attachments

  • expensivecities.png
    expensivecities.png
    29 KB · Views: 2,953
Dauntless said:
zener said:
Lol iwould not ban them. for some work they are irreplaceable.
LockH said:
. . . .just curious, but which personal/"private" vehicle exactly might be "irreplaceable"?)
1971. And it was a newspaper story before it was an ad. Some 60 years earlier people had been discovering their Model T had some uses on the farm.
vwmule.jpg

He He... The first "car" I EVer bought/owned was a yellow VW "Beetle" . Today, I have made some moves (sat w/the builder) to build me a large rickshaw that can be pulled behind the ebike. (Rickshaw lge. enough for two-three tourists/travellers plus luggage, or cargo/wattEVer. More storage than that VW at least.)
:)
 
Here:
http://www.richardgilbert.ca/Files/2003/Greater%20Toronto%20Area%20Comparisons.pdf
traffic_crop.jpg

Some might a separate thread "Why North Americans race (to the bottom, in bicycle use terms.)"
 
I got to see the news the other day. Doom and gloom over climate, and the UK are doing the most to combat change. Germany are mining coal at an alarming rate. The real message was we have to cut down on fossil fuel usage.

In the short term, I have been buying people with incandescent lamps the latest cfl's which reduces the lighting load 80% and as all they do is sit watching telly with a few lights on, this is good. It is also a tiny drop in the ocean. I can't do much about industry though.

Long term, I don't need to burn much fossil fuel. My domestic supply company might use some, but me, I don't have to burn fuel for transport. That is what I can do. I can almost stop using it already. It's not world beating, it is world saving.

We will have to go nuclear, and we have to dump the waste off world one day. If you know about generation, then peak demand could be covered by burning bio matter such as hemp and algae. We should forget non nonrenewable source's because they won't last anyway.

The uk keep sending old electronics to countries that burn the plastic boxes in open fires. That makes our waste figures look good, but if we accounted for the waste after it leaves, I bet we wouldn't be in the lead anymore.

What sort of status symbol is a car, If it is polluting the drivers world. It is just middle tier idiots that perpetuate the idea cyclists are skint. Plenty of stars in the public eye choose instead to go electric. That is both money waving and a survival tactic. That is the kind of status the middle tier should move towards. Being a dick in a 4x4 round town is not a desirable status.


Many believe it is too late. Others say as much as 30 years are left. I just look out the window, I don't need anyone telling me how it is. It is time for change. The e-bike is the way, because with population numbers increasing the roads are no good for anything else.
 
Yah mon. One recent post in a local cyclist forum (apparently possibly by some some crazy old half-dead ebiker guy), discussion concerning one recent cyclist death by truck:
LockH: Accident NOTHING to do w/any large, heavy and high speed vehicles... as pictured at top of this thread. All "LHH"-style vehicles ALWAYS carefully maintained, operators in TIP TOP condition, and FULLY AWARE of their surroundings. (While travelling through pubic (sp?) space.)

(Pic at top of thread of one white-coloured local police car.)
 
Being connected... all over, on the site Face Plant (sp?) one may be regularly assaulted by... "ads", for an nasty old half-dead ebiker guy, sorta attacked by regular/constant ads from car sellers, other co's offering "HUGE" SAVINGS on vehicle insurance!

Todaze ad: "Toronto Drivers! Want to Save over $500* on your Car Insurance?"

Nasty ebiker, first [C]omment:
"Yes! Being a native urban north American, I gave up owning/operating any large vehicles for transportation decades ago! Musta saved MILLIONS by now. (Hint: Marry the Victorian-era pedal bicycle to the bettery-electric battery and motor. Gets all over town, and parks everywhere for free! No more waiting for pubic (sp?) transportation! Unplugs and operates 24/7! Goes everywhere! ... well, there's a long list of advantages. No more 2nd hand smoke is one of my favs. Also not dripping stuff all over."
 
Allows you to quickly merge in and out of traffic to get around slower riders without having to worry so much about getting nailed from behind by a motorist who isn't paying attention.
 
dogman said:
Wouldn't it be great if they slowed the cars down to bike speed in at least some areas? It's why I have so many complicated routes around town, that rely only on streets with a 25 mph speed limit.

In Barcelona, we have about 300km of "zone 30", ie car max speed is 30km/h (e-bike is 25km/h). We expect to reach 900km.
 
Arbol said:
dogman said:
Wouldn't it be great if they slowed the cars down to bike speed in at least some areas? It's why I have so many complicated routes around town, that rely only on streets with a 25 mph speed limit.

In Barcelona, we have about 300km of "zone 30", ie car max speed is 30km/h (e-bike is 25km/h). We expect to reach 900km.

Why is the ebike limit slower? They should be identical, and also have rules that the ebikes must be able to maintain the same speed as traffic. That puts the ebiker crossing paths with far fewer cars, and no reason for drivers to get upset. ie much safer.
 
The 25km/h speed limit is a European one, the 30km/h areas are only in Barcelona. And I imagine local authorities put the 30km/h not because of bikes, but because of other considerations. Anyway, it is a max speed, not a recommended speed. I do not think a car will be disturbed by a 25km/h speed e-bike in those areas.
 
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/05/22/yes_that_traffic_jam_really_is_killing_you.html

Yes, that traffic jam really is killing you

Experts say prolonged, soul-sapping time in the driver's seat raises your risk of obesity, diabetes, stress and fractured relationships.

By: Joel Eastwood Staff Reporter, Published on Thu May 22 2014

Here’s a cheery thought to ponder as you sit in stop-and-go traffic during the lane closures on the Gardiner Expressway: congestion isn’t just making you late. It’s insidiously harming your health, making you more prone to violence, fracturing your social relationships and sapping your very soul.

The negative health effects of traffic are well-documented, and our collective reliance on cars is tied to higher rates of obesity, diabetes and poor air quality.

“There’s clearly exposure to all kinds of pollutants, some of which are irritants to the lungs, some of which are not good for your cardiovascular system, some of which are carcinogenic,” said Dr. David Mowat, the medical officer of health for Peel Region.

Emissions are worse when a vehicle is idling, making stop-and-go traffic more harmful to your lungs, Mowat said.

Studies show that people with long commute times are less inclined to engage in social activities, be socially connected and be civically engaged, Mowat said.

In addition to the long-term health risks, traffic jams have tangible physiological and psychological effects on the people stuck in them.

“You feel out of control, you don’t have options,” said David Wiesenthal, a psychology professor at York University who studies stress in drivers.

As your car slows to a crawl, your heart rate picks up, your breathing intensifies and your blood pressure shoots up. Drivers become more irritable and have a higher tendency to behave aggressively, increasing the odds of rude behavior, shouting obscenities and cutting other cars off, Wiesenthal said — the ingredients of road rage.

A stressful drive is only exacerbated by unexpected delays.

Murtaza Haider, director of the Institute of Housing and Mobility at Ryerson University, studies commuter stress.

The key takeaway from his research is that, when determining stress, the length of a commute is less important than its reliability.

“People who are exposed to frequent congestion three or more times a week have the highest self-reported levels of stress,” Haider said.

So what’s a traffic-bound commuter to do?

First of all, try to leave the car behind. People who walk and bike to work report significantly lower levels of stress, Haider said.

From a health perspective, even transit is a better alternative than driving because it requires you to walk up and down subway stairs, stand on the GO train or walk to the bus stop.

If those options aren’t possible, try exercising in the driver’s seat.

“Your number one goal throughout your day is move as much as you can,” said Dr. Stacy Irvine, a spokesperson for the Ontario Chiropractic Association.

Irvine recommends rolling your shoulders, pushing your head into your headrest, and flexing your glutes to stimulate nerves and blood flow to your muscles.

Haider says to mitigate stress, information is crucial — commuters need to be told about road closures and congestion so they can plan and manage their expectations.

And consider using your travel time to salve your spiritual side.

When Anglican pastor Ryan Sim was tasked with starting a new church in Ajax two years ago, he quickly learned that his prospective flock was defined by their long commutes by road and train.

“I really discovered a community of people who are hardly ever at home,” Sim said.

Instead of asking worshippers to take time out of their precious Sunday mornings, Sim launched Redeem the Commute, a series of short videos and podcasts available on a website and mobile app.

The 10-minute courses address issues of marriage, parenting and spirituality commonly faced by time-strapped commuters. Sim says he plans to expand the program to speak to commuters across the GTA this summer about ebikes.

(ED: May have edited that last line slightly.)
 
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/forget-saving-planet-driving-electric-182114654.html

Forget Saving the Planet, Driving an Electric Car Will Save Your Life

By Todd Woody
23 hours ago

The failure to persuade a sizeable percentage of Americans that climate change poses a clear and present danger is one of the great failures in marketing and the subject of considerable debate among scientists, academics and politicians. But there is one argument for taking action against global warming that has resonated: health.

When the Koch brothers and two Texas oil companies bankrolled a California ballot initiative in 2010 to gut the state’s landmark global warming law, billionaire activists activist Tom Steyer and his allies defeated the measure in part by arguing not that it would lead to climate catastrophe but would harm Californians’ health by allowing petroleum giants to pollute while keeping smog-creating cars on the road.

Now there are some hard numbers to back up those claims. A study released this week by the Environmental Defense Fund and the California chapter of the American Lung Association analyzed the impact of California’s cap-and-trade emissions program—which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020—as well as the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), which mandates a 10 percent reduction in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels by 2020.

“By 2025, the health benefits of the LCFS and [cap-and-trade] will save $8.3 billion in pollution-related health costs such as avoided hospital visits and lost work days,” the report states. “In addition, these policies will prevent 38,000 asthma attacks as well as 600 heart attacks, 880 premature deaths, and almost 75,000 lost work days—all caused by air pollution.”

An environmental consultant, Tetra Tech, analyzed the future emissions of California’s more than 30 million cars if the climate change laws were not in place as well as the reduction in emissions if the laws are fully implemented.

The impact is considerable. Transportation accounts for nearly 40 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, with two-thirds of those carbon emissions from passenger cars. Vehicles are also responsible for 70 percent of the state’s smog, and a result California still has some of the United States’s worst air pollution—80 percent of the population lives in areas defined as having unhealthy air, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
********

Mounting evidence that it really MAY be more "eco friendly" to be hit/run over by a bettery-electric car!
 
"If you want to fix the congestion crisis, you have to get at the root of the problem: Too many cars on the road "
http://driving.ca/auto-news/entertainment/high-occupancy-lanes-dont-really-solve-anything

And one [C]omment:
"... and vehicles TOO LARGE/HEAVY. (Period.)
(To many this may be "rocket science".)"
 
I am not aware offhand of any in North America that pedals their car around?
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

"Recognizing that overweight and obesity can have tremendous negative health implications, a group of health and nutrition experts assembled by the WHO in 1997 concluded that:

Without societal changes, a substantial and steadily rising proportion of adults will succumb to the medical complications of obesity; indeed, the medical burden of obesity already threatens to overwhelm health services. The spectrum of problems seen in both developing and developed countries is having so negative an impact that obesity should be regarded as today’s principal neglected public health problem."
http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/lop/researchpublications/prb0511-e.htm
 
Local news "Traffic pollution causing nearly 300 deaths in Toronto each year, but there are solutions in sight"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/traffic-pollution-causing-close-to-300-deaths-in-toronto-every-year-but-theres-solutions-in-sight/article20281803/

The biggest health risk from pollution in Toronto is vehicles,” says Dr. Monica Campbell, director of Healthy Public Policy at Toronto Public Health.

Traffic pollution is responsible for approximately 280 of 1,300 premature deaths in Toronto every year, according to a 2009 analysis by Toronto Public Health.

Traffic pollution can impact your health if you live within 250 metres of a major roadway – that’s one in four Canadians. The closer you are, the more you’re exposed to the chemicals. The same applies for multistorey buildings: if you live on the ground floor, you might want to close your windows.

“It’s a small minority of vehicles causing high emissions,” says Dr. Greg Evans.

Those vehicles, which will be out on the busy roads Labour Day weekend, are often poorly tuned or too old and they’re slipping by Ontario’s Drive Clean program, he says.

Dr. Evans is the director of the Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research at University of Toronto. His team, which works in partnership with Ontario’s environment ministry, is researching the link between traffic pollution and its impact on human health.

While there’s an assumption that air pollution is worse on hot summer days, that’s not necessarily the case, Dr. Evans says. Ozone emissions do spike, but other pollutants including ultrafine particles (UFP) are higher in cold weather.

Concentrations of UFPs are higher in areas of higher traffic density – often along highways.

UFPs are a relatively new measure that may prove to be more toxic than other pollutants – and a key focus of Dr. Evans’ research. UFPs are about 100 times smaller than the size of a blood cell, and can go straight into your lungs.

His team tracked emissions from cars passing the intersection of College Street and St. George Street in the fall of 2013, and found that the top five per cent of emitters were responsible for 37 per cent of all UFP emissions and 48 per cent of all carbon monoxide emissions.


(BTW... ES Search found 4 matches: +ultrafine.)
 
"Downtown Guy" currently in the `Burbs had a sit down yesterday where another former "Downtown Guy" commented on how his clothes used to get dirty from the clouds of burnt gas/diseasal fumes downtown. His clothes needed to be washed more/better. So. As the world goes "ebike", folks can expect money saved by not washing stuff so much. :)
 
Back
Top