this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2024
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Fuck Cars

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Someone gets killed by a car, so they restrict e-bikes. (www.centraloregondaily.com)
submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
63 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/13118199

(Title shamelessly stolen from this comment in the crossposted !micromobility thread.)

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 8 months ago (33 children)

The problem isn't the class of the electric bike.

Riding on the sidewalk is extremely dangerous. Drivers will often turn (without signalling even) and not notice a bicycle coming up from behind them on a sidewalk. Driver also often back out of driveways without being able to see a bike approaching on a sidewalk.

Cyclists should be taught how to ride safely on the road and use all of the proper safety equipment.

I've commuted by bike for years and frequently shake my head when I see the behavior of other cyclists.

[–] [email protected] 67 points 8 months ago (7 children)

People ride on the sidewalks for a simple reason: the roads do not feel safe enough for riding for them, because there are car drivers there behaving in a manner lethal to non-car drivers (and other drivers too fwiw).

All solutions begin with taking the lethal actor out of the equation. Anything else is needless victim blaming and can be dismissed without any more discussion.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago

I used to cycle on the sidewalk, but my town started enforcing cycling in the bicycle gutter instead. I did that for a while, but then I got hit and run by a car. As a 16 year old. I don't ride my bike anymore unless it's a trail or something.

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Cyclists should have safe infrastructure instead of riding with vehicle traffic. Don't try to shift the responsibility.

I'm saying that as an experienced cyclist as well.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

Not having safe infrastructure doesn't make bikers any less dangerous to be around. My specific citation is the bay area, other places I've lived have not had the sheer quantity of bikers (and drivers) with a death wish/complete lack of spatial awareness.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Cyclists are more likely to die on the sidewalk than sharing the road. Given the choice, use the road 99% of the time.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

Any sources to support your claim?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

I dunno, the sidewalk on the six lane stroad near me seems much safer than the fast, congested road with lane-hopping cars and low visibility.

I get it, and I use sidewalks sparingly, but it really is circumstantial (it's legal to ride a footpath where I live). For example, slow riding a footpath is much safer than fast riding a footpath because you have more time to react to cars entering/exiting driveways. If you're riding somewhere nearby that's actually quite a nice experience. But if you are trying to get somewhere more than a kilometre away, slow footpath riding would obviously slow you down a lot.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I think we really should enforce backing into spaces. As you apoproach the spot/driveway you can confirm it is clear then safely back in. When you go to leave again you have better visbility than if you pulled in and have to back out.

Anyone who says they arent comfortable enough backing into a space shouldn't be driving.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It’s so easy to back into spaces now with rear view cameras as standard. Always surprises me that more people don’t do it

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I hear so many people say people are dumb for backing into spaces, it makes me want to back into spaces more 😈

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Who says this and what is their reasoning? I've heard some people say it takes too long, but if you didnt back in you gotta back out which can take longer anyway.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

How many people are commonly backing into spaces? I think the people I’ve seen or heard, online or otherwise, have just been the same people that don’t want to bother backing into spaces. I don’t think their logic is very sound, it’s just about thinking they’re wasting time probably.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

In my experience most people who back in have experience driving vehicles with restricted rear visbility like cargo or work vans. I know driving those is what did it for me.

My favourite example is driving one of those vans into a self serve car wash. It will be way harder to back out of one than into one because the vans have no rear window and you cannot see past the building. Backing in is much safer and easier in this case and i think it would be reasonable for car wash owners to have signs requesting all customers back in. They can be busy places with pedestrians around.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

It's pretty annoying when people use ambiguous or no signaling (you cant claim the last spot before a right turn by turning on your signal) in bumper to bumper traffic and expect people to make space is one problem.

From a bias perspective assholes in pickup trucks or sports cars that always take multiple spots always back in, so there may be some leftover negative associations, at least for me.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

I don't understand how this is not common sense. If I'm not able to back in, I should probably not go in there. I can't think of anything more stressful than backing out of a driveway and onto incoming traffic that I might not be able to see.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago

No. Just no.

What cyclists need is dedicated infrastructure. Take it away from the car infrastructure, there is so so so so so too much car infrastructure already, convert it into much cheaper cycle infrastructure instead. Add more Public transportation infrastructure while we're at it. THAT will make it safer, not just blaming cyclists anyway

Take an example from the Netherlands.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I started riding on the road and was promptly rewarded with a nail in my tire. I'll stick to my area's multi use path.

Though admittedly if the speed limit and design limit are is 35mph or less I don't mind the road since I'm on an ebike.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

To be fair, I've been rewarded more than once with a nail in my tire for driving my car on the road too.

But agree, it sucks and is good reason to use multiuse paths where they exist.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago (1 children)

When does an E-Bike become a motorcycle that someone is just riding down a sidewalk?

God forbid they formulate some laws/rules that would allow people to safely use something other than a car.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Most larger cities already have this kind of law in place anyway, limiting the power of the motors on e-bikes. For instance, mine is a Class-2 with a max speed of around 14mph and motor rated at 500w. It’s actually got a 1000w motor in it so it’s up to that speed really quickly, but it struggles to go faster because the bike is 70lbs with a 300lb rider (I bought it to lose weight and commute to work).

Makes perfect sense in my eyes to limit the speeds like this. Bike lanes are usually shit anyway, with crap all over ‘em from the road. No point in having an accident because some idiot had a blowout and nobody cleaned up the tire.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

14mph? That's like 20km/h. What's the point unless you live somewhere really hilly?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It’s faster than walking, I don’t have to buy gas, it’s far cheaper to maintain, and it’s getting me active again.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Sorry, that may have come across wrong. I get mad that ebikes are hobbled to painfully low speeds while the actually dangerous cars run rampant at much higher speeds with no speed limiters. One of the great things about a fast ebike is that it can keep up with 30, or sometimes even 50km/h car traffic, making it usually the fastest way to get around a city. In some situations cycling slower is more dangerous as it encorages cars to make dangerous passes. 22.5km/h is slow for a pedal bike, hobbling many of the potential benefits of ebikes.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

While I agree, with my bike it's probably for the best. It's a trike, and certainty doesn't need any more help tipping over while turning.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago

Insanity. It's not like this kid going too fast was even the issue, nothing about what they're proposing would have avoided the incident.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago

He was one month shy of his 16th birthday when he died. Now he'd have to wait a month or get his learner's permit before being allowed to get killed by a car on an e-bike.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

How can anyone be so stupid?

I do cycle quite often (on stiff roads here, man...) and this reads to me like favoritism.

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