Originally Posted by
m.c.
The ones I've been seeing don't require pedaling. They are electric motorcycles that happen to have pedals on them.
And they should be regulated and licensed as such. Just because they don't make engine noise and put out exhaust doesn't make them any less a motorcycle.
The problem, of course, is how the heck to enforce such regulations. If it were a bunch of mopeds on the bike paths, they'd be ticketed and fined and people would be yelling at them or at least expressing disapproval and probably reporting them. But they're quiet so that make it OK, I guess.
Remember, I'm talking about the throttle ones that don't require pedaling. E-assist, I have not problem with, except...
At first, I thought that ebikes were a good idea. If they were at least pedal assist and limited to a reasonable bicycle speed - 10 to 12 mph - I'd still feel the same. But 15-20+mph and not pedaling has made me not a fan of the entire technology. Yea, yea, yea, people say that 15mph is a normal cycling speed. Not for an average cyclist, at least not for very long. Having a bunch of ebikes (pedal assist and not) going 15mph on a MUP is not good. Bikes going 15mph are uncommon enough that it's not a common thing, but still, generally going 15mph on a MUP is not good, imho.