micromobility - Bikes, scooters, boards: Whatever floats your goat, this is micromobility

The main argument here is "if you can go as fast as traffic then you are more like traffic". Not Just Bikes did a 1.5 hour treatment on how US/Canadian bike infrastructure got the way it did, and the one man responsible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRPduRHBhHI

Point is, this article falls into the trap of accepting the whole "real cyclist" framing of the argument. If there's separate bike infrastructure, then the idea of needing speed to integrate with car traffic goes away, and the whole article is moot.

Ebikes tend to be significantly heavier than regular bikes. Once you add speed or a throttle to a 60+lb ebike, they become much more dangerous in pedestrian collisions.

I think bicycles need dedicated infrastructure, hands down, and ebikes over a certain speed/weight/throttle combination need to be kept off of pedestrian mixed-use pathways and sidewalks.

Like many things in life, the same concepts that apply to motorcycles apply to bicycles. Having enough power on tap to just get the hell out of the way of crazy people is always beneficial.

Regarding the inevitable whining that will ensue about "dangers to pedestrians," which the article also briefly touches upon, if your vehicle can go the same speed as car traffic you should not be operating it on the sidewalk in the first place. You should be operating it on the street, just like a motorcycle. That eliminates the pedestrian angle, or at least reduces it to the same magnitude as existing vehicular traffic. Just to name one example out of many, nobody cries about me riding my FZ6R down the sidewalk because I don't.

I ride a class 3 ebike 66% of the time and various muscle-powered bikes the remainder of the time. 30mph makes most roads in my downtown accessible to me. I bought a class 3 for this reason. We're too suburban for class 2 to keep up with traffic on most roads.

Where I live: Multi use paths: 20mph (buttholes are trying to lower it to 15mph which I can beat on any muscle-bike) Neighborhood roads: <=25mph (bikable but tend to not connect well) Collectors: <30-35mph (sometimes uncomfortable, but okay) Arterials: 40-60mph (you probably gunna die unless you are going downhill, have passed cars at 45-50mph on the downhill. Never wish to repeat 😳 Expressways: 65+mph (um...)

We're pretty spread out and a useful trip could be anywhere from 5-35 miles round trip.

I certainly like speed. Especially on two wheels something like mountain biking downhill can be very nice. I mean I get why speeding on public roads isn't a nice thing to do. And you might want to wear some proper motorcycle protection. A bicycle helmet isn't going to do much at 30km/h and above. I live in a country that has ebikes limited to 25km/h and there's a category which can do 45km/h but needs insurance and a driver's license. But I'd agree, 25 is as fast as I can pedal on my own and you just can't swim with traffic at that speed so there's a lot of cars overtaking you and that can be dangerous or annoying. And it also limits what kind of distance you'd be willing to commute (to work) with a bike, because it's just slow. I think it'd probably be safer if we all drive at the same speed in the cities. Though 50 is really fast. Definitely need a proper helmet at that, some glasses so the first fly doesn't wreck your eyes. Maybe more because accidents happen regularly and these people get spectacular abrasions, bruises and head injuries at way lower speeds, even without an E in their bike. And we need to protect pedestrians. I've seen way to many near misses with the e-scooters in the last few years, they're definitely the worst, and some people on bikes aren't very bright, either.

Counterpoint - here's what power (human or motor, doesn't matter) is required at a few speeds starting from 25 to 45 (28mph) with anecdotal hurt from personal and family experience. The power level is important because it shows you the relative energy you carry as you're moving with that speed, energy your body would have to absorb during an impact as it comes to a stop when you crash. The power grows exponentially with speed thanks to air drag. And so does the hurt.

After crashing a few times at 35 or over, the last of which had my palm hurt for months, I no longer cross the 30kph threshold for any extended period of time.

Source: been riding in Toronto, Canada for a couple of decades, electric for a decade, used to have a 1500W (limited from 3kW) Tangent Ascent.

E: Clarified what I mean by power. Thx @litchralee@sh.itjust.works

I live them. The problem is cars, not faster elctric bikes. Put them.on roads not sidewalks, ban fucking cars and that's progress.