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Even in parts of the country with better bike infrastructure, I still find the throttle vs non-throttle distinction to be an often overlooked one - having a thr

Even in parts of the country with better bike infrastructure, I still find the throttle vs non-throttle distinction to be an often overlooked one - having a throttle makes it easy to sustain aggressive riding that would be utterly exhausting to most normal riders on a pedal-assist or muscle powered bike / scooter / whatever. On one hand, I know having more people riding is broadly a good thing because it increases demand for infrastructure, makes drivers more aware that they should be looking out for non-car stuff, etc... but on the other hand, I can't help but be a bit grumpy as a long-time muscle powered bike commuter that these new electric ones with throttles make it really easy for casual riders to throw all of the normal convention and expectations about how bikes move and behave out the window, often to the annoyance or risk of people around them. A decade ago there was never any expectation of being passed at a high rate of speed while climbing a bridge or hill, nor many riders who were capable of racing up to a tight gap or turn only to slam on brakes and floor it out of there, burning momentum in the process. Stuff with throttles mixed with stuff without throttles mashes together two very different ways of riding.

c0nsumer 4y ago
That's exactly it. In the park I mention above, the street next to it is 25 MPH, has sharrows, and also has a very wide pretty much unused paved shoulder as well. Except for ignorance, there's no reason for eBike riders to be using the only-about-two-person-wide sidewalk. In the past the speed came with skill which developed through experience. Now that speed is often at the press of a throttle (or setting the assist to high) there are more folks at high speeds without the developed skill or etiquette. Heck, at one of the local parks that I work with (volunteer cycling advocate who develops trail systems), they are trying to figure out what to do about eBikes on their paved walking/running/biking loop which parallels the park road. In the past the mixed use was fine, as most riders on the loop were going slow; families/kids/whatever and coexisted just fine with walkers. The faster riders would be out on the road, going roughly the same speed as the cars. Now that eBikes are becoming popular, the less-experienced folks are sticking to the path, but at higher speeds, causing issues with the walkers. Walkers being clipped by bikes is not unheardof on these paths in the past, but it's becoming much more frequent now that the walker-rider speed delta has increased. (For reference, ~8-12 MPH was common for human-powered riders on these paths. eBikes roughly double the average speed.)

c0nsumer 4y ago

That's exactly it. In the park I mention above, the street next to it is 25 MPH, has sharrows, and also has a very wide pretty much unused paved shoulder as well. Except for ignorance, there's no reason for eBike riders to be using the only-about-two-person-wide sidewalk. In the past the speed came with skill which developed through experience. Now that speed is often at the press of a throttle (or setting the assist to high) there are more folks at high speeds without the developed skill or etiquette. Heck, at one of the local parks that I work with (volunteer cycling advocate who develops trail systems), they are trying to figure out what to do about eBikes on their paved walking/running/biking loop which parallels the park road. In the past the mixed use was fine, as most riders on the loop were going slow; families/kids/whatever and coexisted just fine with walkers. The faster riders would be out on the road, going roughly the same speed as the cars. Now that eBikes are becoming popular, the less-experienced folks are sticking to the path, but at higher speeds, causing issues with the walkers. Walkers being clipped by bikes is not unheardof on these paths in the past, but it's becoming much more frequent now that the walker-rider speed delta has increased. (For reference, ~8-12 MPH was common for human-powered riders on these paths. eBikes roughly double the average speed.)