Ebikes in Denver Post today; most read article in the state!

deardancer3

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Electric bikes, Segways spark trail-access issues


"Colorado has a head-scratching patchwork of regulations complicated by federal mandates and local ordinances. Adding to the misunderstandings over electric bikes is the array of models, ranging from bikes with added oomph only when the rider is pedaling to scooter-like devices with throttle controls that don't require the rider to ever push a pedal. "

Read more: Electric bikes, Segways spark trail-access issues - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16211614#ixzz1120Wtcuv

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16211614

Be sure to read the comments, which are running about 3 to one in support of ebikes!
http://neighbors.denverpost.com/viewtopic.php?t=16211614
 
Good stuff in that article, thanks for posting!

It brings up a lot of things that have yet to be addressed properly for regular path use mixing peds with bikes and just comes down to courtesy. If you are being an idiot, your making things worse for everyone else, whether you are walking, riding or what ever.

I am glad to see that at least one official's knee-jerk reaction to E-Bikes has been changed with more information and experience with E-Bikes, I think it is easy to have the "E-Bikes are dangerous!" attitude when you don't understand them, and few are even in existence much less use.

I'm hoping to change this same opinion of a local grocer by showing her that E-Bikes can not only be safe, but much more beneficial in ways than even regular bikes.
 
Sad to say, this sort of stuff may be coming to a city near you soon. In my town, I stay off bike paths where anything motored is banned, on NMSU campus. Too much traffic there anyway.

But so far nothing is posted on the city trails. And I try to keep it that way, by riding courteously and below 20 mph. The walkers used to own the trails, walking 4 abreast, etc. I stopped and talked to the morning crowd one by one, and now they mostly all walk to the right, or at least to one side. There were no other bikes on the trails then, but now the bikes are increasing since I trained the walkers.

As for horses, I have been fed up with what horse traffic does to hiking trails since 1965. Starting with the crap, but mostly they curn up huge mud swamps that are not so great for a backpacker. People whine about bikes tearing up the trails, but it's nothing compared to a string of pack horses.
 
This whole mentality of banning powered bicycles from bicycle paths is really silly.

I mean, they don't ban cars that are capable of going 100 mph from roads where the posted speed limit is 25 mph. Rather than ban powered bikes, you simply post a speed limit, and give fines out to anyone found violating it.
 
Bike paths are obvoiusly for strollers, not bikes. That's why they invariably go up the biggest steepest hill in town, to discourage actual use. If that doesn't do the trick, they put crappy ADA ramps that make you take a 90 degree turn on every intersection or bash over a curb. :mrgreen:
 
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_16220435

editorial

With an assist, e-cycles could boost ridership
Local governments should support electric bicycles, which could cut traffic and help to create sustainable communities.

By The Denver Post


Forecasting the future is always tricky, but European-style bicycle technology that incorporates small motors to boost rider power appears to be a rising trend here.

While we admit a part of us will always favor those old-fashioned, human-powered bicycles, we're intrigued by what the technology might mean in terms of boosting bicycle commuting and overall ridership.

This is no conspiracy. We think the electric-bicycles — or e-bikes — could help increase bicycle commuting and help clear congested roads and decrease pollution.

But for these benefits to take place, city, regional and state governments will have to get on board with reasonable rules and regulations. Already, enough electric bicycles are appearing on trails and paths to start the debate, and some city councils have been quick to call for banning the bikes, according to The Denver Post's Nancy Lofholm.

Denver allows them, but Boulder and Fort Collins have banned them from city trails unless riders have switched off the motors.

Part of the problem for lawmakers is that so many kinds of electric gadgets are finding their way onto the market and onto the trail, from e-bikes to scooters to Segways.

In the case of e-bikes, we think Denver's example is the correct one.

By federal law, e-bikes cut off the electric-motor assistance at 20 miles per hour, which is roughly the point at which riding a bike on city paths becomes problematic.

Because their small motors make it easier for riders to get around, they make cycling to work far more appealing. Even those of us who are out of shape or elderly can sustain average speeds for much longer with an e-cycle, says Dean Heyek-Franssen, co-founder of Pete's Electric Bikes in Boulder, Aspen and Frisco.

The motors make no more noise than a traditional bike.

Charging their lithium batteries is as simple as plugging them into a wall socket for up to four hours.

The obvious advantage is the bikes encourage more people to get out of their cars for their commute, and out of their easy chairs and into more active lifestyles.

Of course, there are challenges as well. Cities hoping to expand bicycle commuting must ensure paths are plentiful and safe, and that appropriate speed limits are clearly visible to commuters.

Anyone who rides on popular bicycle paths realizes that several obstacles, from pedestrians to animals, can make for risky situations.

Further, most cities still haven't solved the problem of making urban routes compatible for bicycles, whether traditional or electric.

But city councils ought to do the work of figuring out how to make room for the enhancements. For cities striving to create sustainable communities, the e-bike would seem more friend than foe.
 
this is an editorial from the offices of the denverpost itself?

this is like the saying about "when pigs fly".

this is the reality of where electric assist has to be.

this is very encouraging. the EV world is coming. oil traded above $84 this morning, dollar stronger now so it collapsed, but it is coming. peak oil will change the social argument about bikes/ebikes/EVs and their place on the road when gas stays above $8.
 
dnmun said:
this is an editorial from the offices of the denverpost itself?
this is like the saying about "when pigs fly".

this is the reality of where electric assist has to be.

this is very encouraging. the EV world is coming. oil traded above $84 this morning, dollar stronger now so it collapsed, but it is coming. peak oil will change the social argument about bikes/ebikes/EVs and their place on the road when gas stays above $8.

Word.
I'll take range anxiety over oil economy anxiety any day.
Everything needs to be done to make eBikes a viable replacement for cars. It seems that eBikes are the most efficient form of transport ( considering the human caloric needs to walk or bike just as far ) and it would be a damn shame to cripple them.
 
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