Hi Nep...
...information about laws, legal issues from members, and political things are constantly changing.
Thing is, I'm reading the same stuff, over and over again from towns and cities across North America... Online media articles about ebikes which may be positive or negative, then online [C]omments posted always with the same negative concerns (they go too fast, they are too heavy, we should all be pedaling, they burn coal, batteries are toxic... etc.) City staff and councillors getting complaints... Most folks on ES will have heard some of this stuff already from their own neighbours directly or indirectly.
It might be nice for novice ebikers or folks interested in ebikes who may have heard these negative things to be able to see all "issues" collected together in one handy spot.
I think what happened in Fort Collins recently was a huge loss for ebikers:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=29455
In March 2011 the city of Sarnia Ontario did the same thing:
http://www.ebikeriders.com/messages/boards/thread/16334292#55798062
A recent report from Windsor Ontario:
CITY EYES E-BIKE REGS
2011-11-17 06:24:39
With their numbers growing, the City of Windsor is being asked to regulate e-bikes. Ward 6 councillor Joanne Gignac says a new bylaw is needed to improve public safety. City administration is checking to see what other cities have done and a report is expected at city council within a couple of weeks.
North Bay Ontario City Council meets November 28th to decide on a new by-law restricting ebikes on City trails...
Veloman recently heard some unsettling stuff from Austin TX:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33809
Personally while I am interested in seeing existing "bad" (out of date) laws updated, I am more interested in seeing that new laws banning and restricting ebikes for the wrong reasons are not added to the list.
Laws nEVer include the reasons why they were enacted. The background legislative record and debate gets lost in time. When Windsor etc city staff look to copy/paste legislation from other jurisdictions they won't be reading the debate and supporting logic or data etc that led to laws in other places, just the end results.
Underlying all complaints and restrictive legislations about ebikes is the idea that somehow they are less safe than the pedal-only bike, and I don't believe this is true.
I think we have a whack-a-mole situation going on here, and the moles are winning.
LocK