3 ms·

I'm sorry, but I absolutely hate e-bikes. We in Asia have figured the urban transit riddle long ago: Motorbikes or the more sustainable option; electric scoote

I'm sorry, but I absolutely hate e-bikes. We in Asia have figured the urban transit riddle long ago: Motorbikes or the more sustainable option; electric scooters [1]. If we are going to share the road, might as well everyone becomes capable of reaching similar speeds. E-bikes necessitate a cyclist lane for no good reason. [1] https://www.gogoro.com/ https://www.gogoro.com/

Retric 5y ago
E-bikes allow a wider range of people to exercise and travel quickly. That’s their advantage over both electric scooters and traditional bicycles. As such they are really worth incorporating into the urban landscape. Also, it’s not obvious but the highest throughput per unit area at street level is sidewalks, bike lanes, and then the least efficient traffic lanes. Sidewalks need skyscrapers and a massive subway system to really scale, but bike lanes are mostly limited by adoption which again makes E-Bikes really useful.
- Mengkudulangsat 5y ago
  Electric scooters come with some amazing safety innovations, namely turn signals and rear-view mirrors. I honestly don't understand why people need to exercise on their commute, just go to the gym!
  - Retric 5y ago
    Going to the gym takes time. Even if you’re just walking for 20 minutes each way that’s still 40 minutes of light exercise 5 days a week for 40 years. Which from a public health standpoint is quite significant as few people go to the gym every week for their entire working life. E-bikes combine that basic level of exercise with being able to travel significant distances or across steep hills. Driving is faster but takes longer to park and doesn’t scale nearly as well in terms of infrastructure so it’s not a major time saver compared to short bike commutes. Granted, bike infrastructure is often unused in the US but it’s often a question of critical mass. There needs to be enough in place to get to everything safely and it needs to be around long enough for people to start using it.

Retric 5y ago

E-bikes allow a wider range of people to exercise and travel quickly. That’s their advantage over both electric scooters and traditional bicycles. As such they are really worth incorporating into the urban landscape. Also, it’s not obvious but the highest throughput per unit area at street level is sidewalks, bike lanes, and then the least efficient traffic lanes. Sidewalks need skyscrapers and a massive subway system to really scale, but bike lanes are mostly limited by adoption which again makes E-Bikes really useful.

Mengkudulangsat 5y ago
Electric scooters come with some amazing safety innovations, namely turn signals and rear-view mirrors. I honestly don't understand why people need to exercise on their commute, just go to the gym!
- Retric 5y ago
  Going to the gym takes time. Even if you’re just walking for 20 minutes each way that’s still 40 minutes of light exercise 5 days a week for 40 years. Which from a public health standpoint is quite significant as few people go to the gym every week for their entire working life. E-bikes combine that basic level of exercise with being able to travel significant distances or across steep hills. Driving is faster but takes longer to park and doesn’t scale nearly as well in terms of infrastructure so it’s not a major time saver compared to short bike commutes. Granted, bike infrastructure is often unused in the US but it’s often a question of critical mass. There needs to be enough in place to get to everything safely and it needs to be around long enough for people to start using it.