3 ms·

California Wants to Make You Get an EBike License

11 points by harambae 3y ago

johng 3y ago
More and more laws for law abiding citizens. Less laws and no punishment, cashless bail for criminals. Makes sense.
- milsorgen 3y ago
  We used to go mushroom picking in Oregon as a family, three generations of us. I remember the first time I heard you now needed a license. It was appalling but I at least understood it in that context. Sometimes I think or imagine how things were 25, 50 or 100 years ago... We've built quite the world for ourselves, full petty red tape and bureaucrats with little to show for it.
- uoaei 3y ago
  Where I live, e-bikes have been using crosswalks instead of obeying right of way. I think most these people are new riders who are paranoid and seem to have no basic understanding of the true capabilities of their chosen mode of transport (namely acceleration), judging by their behavior around cars. This single behavior becoming normal in my area has led to a strange reaction from drivers, where they now habitually give up their right of way on busy thoroughfares ostensibly to allow both electric and acoustic bikes to cross the busy road, even if those bikes are waiting behind a stop sign while the driver has none. The problem is the drivers are completely unaware of the traffic they cause on these thoroughfares when they force all the cars behind them to stop, which has been forcing more speeding cars onto side streets, making things more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists alike. There's no perfect but it would be nice if people were educated on the basic rules of the road. They are there to encourage smooth traffic flow. If you're on wheels, you do not get to use the crosswalk. So much for "law-abiding".
- olliej 3y ago
  You cannot have cashless bail for criminals. Bail is something you get before trial, and definitionally are not a criminal. Cash bail does not do anything except force low income defendants into either jail or debt. What exactly do you think cash bail does that cashless bail does not do? I mean except for the obvious ones of ensuring poor defendants lose money, their jobs, their housing, their children get placed into foster care/CPS, etc. If your concern is safety, then why do you seem to prefer a world where someone accused of a violent crime can just pay some money and get out on bail, vs one in which a person accused of a violent crime does not have that option? If your concern is government control of citizens, why do you prefer a world where rich defendants don't have to go to jail, but poor ones do, regardless of guilt? But also how are we getting "more and more laws" but also "less laws"?
m463 3y ago
should link the original article: https://electrek.co/2023/07/22/california-wants-to-create-a-drivers-license-for-electric-bikes/ https://electrek.co/2023/07/22/california-wants-to-create-a-... or even: https://fox5sandiego.com/news/california-news/california-bill-would-require-e-bikers-to-have-license-mandate-training/ https://fox5sandiego.com/news/california-news/california-bil...
cc101 3y ago
It's for kids too young to get a driver's license, but need training in rules of the road. Title of this post is blatant click-bait.
ecf 3y ago
What’s the big deal? EBikes can accelerate to 25-30mph unassisted which is firmly in moped/scooter territory and those require a drivers license. Want to get around town without a license? Pedal yourself.
- kevincox 3y ago
  At least for me ebikes are a bit of a menace on the sidewalks. I think they are great and they are very popular for food delivery people but they end up breaking every traffic law out there swerving onto sidewalks and through pedestrians crossing the street. I have seen a handful of accidents. Luckily the smaller weight and better maneuverability means that all of the accidents I have seen have been minor but I'm sure there are some good injuries from time to time (especially more at-risk people like the elderly). Having a license that can accumulate points and be revoked for unsafe driving may be a good way to help promote good behaviour. Personally I think ebikes are great, they provide far more throughput than cars downtown and consume far less energy. But currently they are used very unsafely leading to stress and injuries for other people trying to walk the streets.

11 points by harambae 3y ago

johng 3y ago

More and more laws for law abiding citizens. Less laws and no punishment, cashless bail for criminals. Makes sense.

milsorgen 3y ago
We used to go mushroom picking in Oregon as a family, three generations of us. I remember the first time I heard you now needed a license. It was appalling but I at least understood it in that context. Sometimes I think or imagine how things were 25, 50 or 100 years ago... We've built quite the world for ourselves, full petty red tape and bureaucrats with little to show for it.
uoaei 3y ago
Where I live, e-bikes have been using crosswalks instead of obeying right of way. I think most these people are new riders who are paranoid and seem to have no basic understanding of the true capabilities of their chosen mode of transport (namely acceleration), judging by their behavior around cars. This single behavior becoming normal in my area has led to a strange reaction from drivers, where they now habitually give up their right of way on busy thoroughfares ostensibly to allow both electric and acoustic bikes to cross the busy road, even if those bikes are waiting behind a stop sign while the driver has none. The problem is the drivers are completely unaware of the traffic they cause on these thoroughfares when they force all the cars behind them to stop, which has been forcing more speeding cars onto side streets, making things more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists alike. There's no perfect but it would be nice if people were educated on the basic rules of the road. They are there to encourage smooth traffic flow. If you're on wheels, you do not get to use the crosswalk. So much for "law-abiding".
olliej 3y ago
You cannot have cashless bail for criminals. Bail is something you get before trial, and definitionally are not a criminal. Cash bail does not do anything except force low income defendants into either jail or debt. What exactly do you think cash bail does that cashless bail does not do? I mean except for the obvious ones of ensuring poor defendants lose money, their jobs, their housing, their children get placed into foster care/CPS, etc. If your concern is safety, then why do you seem to prefer a world where someone accused of a violent crime can just pay some money and get out on bail, vs one in which a person accused of a violent crime does not have that option? If your concern is government control of citizens, why do you prefer a world where rich defendants don't have to go to jail, but poor ones do, regardless of guilt? But also how are we getting "more and more laws" but also "less laws"?

m463 3y ago

should link the original article: https://electrek.co/2023/07/22/california-wants-to-create-a-drivers-license-for-electric-bikes/ https://electrek.co/2023/07/22/california-wants-to-create-a-... or even: https://fox5sandiego.com/news/california-news/california-bill-would-require-e-bikers-to-have-license-mandate-training/ https://fox5sandiego.com/news/california-news/california-bil...

cc101 3y ago

It's for kids too young to get a driver's license, but need training in rules of the road. Title of this post is blatant click-bait.

ecf 3y ago

What’s the big deal? EBikes can accelerate to 25-30mph unassisted which is firmly in moped/scooter territory and those require a drivers license. Want to get around town without a license? Pedal yourself.

kevincox 3y ago
At least for me ebikes are a bit of a menace on the sidewalks. I think they are great and they are very popular for food delivery people but they end up breaking every traffic law out there swerving onto sidewalks and through pedestrians crossing the street. I have seen a handful of accidents. Luckily the smaller weight and better maneuverability means that all of the accidents I have seen have been minor but I'm sure there are some good injuries from time to time (especially more at-risk people like the elderly). Having a license that can accumulate points and be revoked for unsafe driving may be a good way to help promote good behaviour. Personally I think ebikes are great, they provide far more throughput than cars downtown and consume far less energy. But currently they are used very unsafely leading to stress and injuries for other people trying to walk the streets.