Proposed e-bike ban sparks debate
WINDSOR, Ont. — Although e-bikes are known to be silent, they’re at the centre of a heated debate within the community that has many voicing their opinions loud and clear.
City council has received a recommendation by the city’s Environment and Transportation Committee to change existing traffic bylaws to ban e-bikes from all sidewalks and multi-use trails.
“I think it’s bull crap because, I mean, if it’s a bike path, you should be able to ride on it on your bike, and they classify these as bikes,” said Chris Belcher, who has owned several e-bikes for the past four years and was riding on Windsor’s waterfront paths Saturday.
Brian Tucker, owner of Scoot-A-Long of Windsor Electric Bikes, said the proposed ban is not fair because e-bikes have been deemed both federally and provincially as being the same as bicycles and so therefore, riders should enjoy the same privileges as cyclists.
“I think it’s kind of a foolish thing. The government gives the city money for bicycles and bike trails and here we are spending it on trails I may soon not be able to go on,” said Tucker. “One or two or three people complaining might mean the rest of us lose our freedom to travel on these roads that we have also paid for. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
But he said he does agree with part of the ban – that e-bikes shouldn’t be allowed on sidewalks.
“Sidewalks are clearly for people to be walking on and going about their business, but the bike trails, they’re there for everyone’s enjoyment,” said Tucker.
Supporters of the ban say because e-bikes can travel at a high speed but remain very quiet and almost silent, this poses safety risks because people have been surprised and frightened by them. But Tucker argues some bicycles can travel up to twice the speed as an e-bike and make even less noise.
Ward 6 Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac said she requested a report looking into the matter over a year ago after she received a number of complaints from residents about e-bikes becoming a hazard.
“I felt very strongly that we needed some clear guidelines to where they would be acceptable,” Gignac said about requesting the report. “I think runners and walkers are entitled to maneuver along recreational trails without worrying about something swooping up on them and knocking them over.”
Linda Soderberg, who brings her two-year-old daughter, Ebba, to walk along the riverfront trails almost every weekend said she worries about her daughter being on the same pathway as an e-bike.
“I’m for the ban because of the little one. It’s happened more than once that they’ve been coming very fast and they came very close because you don’t hear them,” said Soderberg.
Gignac said she agrees a ban should be in place for e-bikes to be prohibited from sidewalks and city trails and disagrees with Windsor police who have voiced concern that there aren’t adequate bike lanes for e-bikes to ride on instead.
“I think the city is building on its bike lane infrastructure and I think that before we had bike lanes at all, we had cyclists who maneuvered on the roads quite well,” said Gignac. “And they operate quite well in other municipalities that probably don’t have as many designated bike lanes as we do.”
But Ward 4 Coun. Alan Halberstadt, who sits on the Windsor Bicycling Committee, agrees with the point Windsor police are raising.
“There’s no doubt that we’re deficient in our bike lane infrastructure on the roads. I think the police raise a good point that our cycling network is not mature enough,” said Halberstadt.
He also sits on the city’s Environment and Transportation Committee and was part of the unanimous vote to recommend changes to the existing traffic bylaws with regards to e-bikes. He said he voted in favour with some reservations because he agrees the trails and sidewalks are not meant for e-bikes, for the safety of pedestrians, but feels council needs to enhance bicycle routes for the safety of the e-bike riders.
“Some of them are saying we’re kind of throwing them to the wolves because we don’t have the infrastructure on the roads to accommodate them, and I can see that point for sure,” said Halberstadt.
Riding along the waterfront on her e-bike Saturday was Suzanne Woitowich, who often rides there to travel across the city. She said she has become reliant on the route and fears for her safety if she is forced to ride on the road if the ban is put in place.
“It would just be unsafe for me. I really can’t imagine having to go on the busy roads and I think a lot of people would be prone to accidents if they had to travel on the roads,” said Woitowich.
Anita Czilli frequently runs on the trails along the river and said she disagrees with the ban and doesn’t mind sharing the space with e-bikes.
“They’re quite careful and I’ve never had a problem – the same as bikes. I think this is what it’s made for. This is the place for e-bikes.” said Czilli. “I’m more careful when I’m driving and I see them on the roads.”
The recommendation will go before council at the July 9 regular meeting. Tucker, who will be attending with other e-bike enthusiasts who oppose the ban, will be voicing his concerns about the amendment at the meeting.
Ward 5 Coun. Ed Sleiman, who also sits on the Environment and Transportation Committee and voted in favour of the recommendation, said he feels the decision to impose the ban will be made during the meeting and that this has been a long time coming.
“My gut feeling is that it’s going to be unanimous that it’s no place for e-bikes on sidewalks or trails,” said Sleiman. “The trail is meant for recreational things and honestly, the e-bike and sidewalks and trails are not a good mix.”
personally i just wont ride a weenie bike (road bike), which make my bike very heavy.......
