UniChris

Indeed, I'm lucky so far this is only an issue in urban lanes that don't accomplish much anyway (in one uphill stretch of which the average two wheel speed is now visibly faster than the adjacent cars; when the later are not suffering from congestion) and so far only a rarity on the trails that are actually enjoyable to ride.

But while electric motorcycles are a great idea as a replacement for the internal combustion variety, there's going to have to be a reckoning about the difference between "bicycles" and "motorcycles".

Probably, things that can use bike infrastructure need to be legally required to have firmware limiting them to pedal cycling speeds; not athletic cyclist speeds, but average person speeds. Otherwise it isn't about leveling the playing field; it's about taking over the cycling infrastructure for light motorcycles, and that soon leads to making it uncomfortable for average people on pedal bikes.

It's probably better to limit the e-things specifically, and not have general speed limits (at least except in specific problem zones), as those who can get into the high teens or twenties by muscle power tend to at least have experience to match, and are at least accomplishing something with some redeeming merit.

Ideally this would go hand in hand with making the roads themselves safer, so that they're a more reasonable option for the light e-motorcycles (with registration plates) - and also remain an allowed option for fit vehicular pedal-cyclists.