This is the kicker. They are a pretty good solution now, but they could be amazing.
At least in my country they need to hammer out a consistent set of rules and laws regarding their use. Last time I checked the vast majority of them are effectively illegal because under current laws they are too powerful to be considered an assisted pushbike, you cant register them as a roadgoing vehicle because they dont have indicators and brake lights and you cant ride them on the footpath because riding on the footpath is against the law.
Which puts them in that lovely legal space of “Does a cop want to fuck with me today?” Fortunately our police tend to be pretty cool on the subject because they know that technically taking it out of your house is illegal which is dumb.
we need to infiltrate civil engineering standards boards and make protected bike lanes mandatory for all roads with 4 or more car lanes or speed limits over 25 mph. then they’ll be the default everywhere because going against code will invite lawsuits
I think ebike, scooter, etc. usage will increase even more if we mod infrastructure to be safer for everyone.
This is the kicker. They are a pretty good solution now, but they could be amazing.
At least in my country they need to hammer out a consistent set of rules and laws regarding their use. Last time I checked the vast majority of them are effectively illegal because under current laws they are too powerful to be considered an assisted pushbike, you cant register them as a roadgoing vehicle because they dont have indicators and brake lights and you cant ride them on the footpath because riding on the footpath is against the law.
Which puts them in that lovely legal space of “Does a cop want to fuck with me today?” Fortunately our police tend to be pretty cool on the subject because they know that technically taking it out of your house is illegal which is dumb.
we need to infiltrate civil engineering standards boards and make protected bike lanes mandatory for all roads with 4 or more car lanes or speed limits over 25 mph. then they’ll be the default everywhere because going against code will invite lawsuits