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My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

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Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#71

Post by nikofeyn »

aptwebapps wrote: post #69
Benjamin_Dobell wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that car accidents still happen. But honestly most my near misses with cars were outright insane. One in particular gives me chills. I was driving along an empty road and a car wanted to make a right-hand turn onto the road. The car driver came to a stop at the side road, we were close and it was clear enough that I made eye contact with the middle-aged woman driver. I swear she looked me right in the eyes, t…

A bit like this? https://imgur.com/r/wtf/w7TLaja

as a motorcyclist, i see that situation as a complete death trap and would absolutely slow down approaching​ it. you have someone turning left and someone looking to turn right to eventually merge, two of the most dangerous situations on the road. and here you have this bicyclist just blasting through do not cross lines, not letting anyone be aware of what he's about to do, and seemingly without self-awareness. i personally see bicyclists as the most unpredictable things on the road. i feel for them, but i personally don't think they take the same precautions as motorcyclists. of course i'm generalizing, but i interact with them on a daily basis. they just scare me in whatever way i'm getting around: car driver, motorcyclist, pedestrian.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#72

Post by nextlevelwizard »

anon74574873891 wrote: post #65
bbarn wrote: post #43

I'm glad the author likes hers, and it enables her to commute. I don't care who rides what on a street. What I do care about is people riding them on small narrow paths made for cycling at best speeds, at 24-28 mph. As someone who raced for 10+ years and still rides 120ish miles a week, I don't even ride that fast around bike paths. It's just too dangerous with joggers, strollers, kids on bikes, whatever. When I see…

The author is not necessarily a 'he'. > ...I was wearing a skirt... > posted by Pam Mandel

Do you seriously not have better things to do than police comment section for silly typos?

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#73

Post by ScottBurson »

Benjamin_Dobell wrote: post #70
aptwebapps wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A bit like this? https://imgur.com/r/wtf/w7TLaja

Ah, no. Not like that at all. That cyclist is in a right turning lane and rode right over a painted traffic island. Not at all suggesting that gives the car the right to drive into them. However, being stupid is something motorcyclists (and I'd assume cyclists) generally try to avoid!

The cyclist should have been on the right side of the left lane rather than the left side of the right lane, that's true. But watching this, I'm not left with the impression that that would have made the slightest difference in this accident. The cyclist was clearly moving too fast to make the right turn; if the motorist had registered him at all, they would surely have waited.

The strangest thing about this video is that there's a considerable gap in traffic before the cyclist arrives at the intersection; the motorist had plenty of time to turn in front of him. I think the motorist had to have been drunk or texting or something; it almost looks like they intentionally waited to hit him.

I try to ride my e-bike very defensively -- and indeed I've never been hit by a car, though I've had a couple of close calls -- but I'm not at all sure I would have avoided this one.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#74

Post by ScottBurson »

nikofeyn wrote: post #71
aptwebapps wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A bit like this? https://imgur.com/r/wtf/w7TLaja

as a motorcyclist, i see that situation as a complete death trap and would absolutely slow down approaching​ it. you have someone turning left and someone looking to turn right to eventually merge, two of the most dangerous situations on the road. and here you have this bicyclist just blasting through do not cross lines, not letting anyone be aware of what he's about to do, and seemingly without self-awareness. i per…

The car on the right is actually waiting to turn left onto the main road.

I agree the cyclist should have been in the left lane, though as a cyclist I also understand why he wasn't, but seems to me it should never surprise anyone when another vehicle continues in a straight line at a constant speed, notwithstanding the road markings. He was clearly not going to make the right turn; he was going much too fast, and made no movement in that direction. I think if the motorist had seen him at all they would waited for him to go by.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#75

Post by Noos »

It really won't. The fact is that even with an ebike, your effective radius is maybe fifteen miles in one day, which will take 45 minutes to an hour to cycle. Most people in the USA who need cars simply need transportation that is powered for longer and gives much longer of a range.

It also needs to be operated in many types of weather conditions, like snow, and often needs to cary four passengers or merchandise that takes up the same amount of room. One that isn't vulnerable to theft or stripping.

Also, for the price of a good one, you could get a gas powered moped or 50cc scooter, and watch your range extend dramatically with instant "recharging."

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#76

Post by cooper12 »

nextlevelwizard wrote: post #72
anon74574873891 wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The author is not necessarily a 'he'. > ...I was wearing a skirt... > posted by Pam Mandel

Do you seriously not have better things to do than police comment section for silly typos?

Well gender is part of someone's identity, so it's important to get it right. If you misgendered a person in real life, it might make them feel insecure about their looks and features and hurt their self-esteem. (a man might for example wonder if he is acting feminine) It's also more important on the internet and communities like this one which are commonly stereotyped as a boys club where male is the default and females are unicorns. (Also since pedantry is the current topic, allow me to point out that a typo refers to an unintentional error while transcribing, not spelling mistakes or using the wrong term, which while mistaken, are done consciously)

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#77

Post by cooper12 »

Noos wrote: post #75

It really won't. The fact is that even with an ebike, your effective radius is maybe fifteen miles in one day, which will take 45 minutes to an hour to cycle. Most people in the USA who need cars simply need transportation that is powered for longer and gives much longer of a range. It also needs to be operated in many types of weather conditions, like snow, and often needs to cary four passengers or merchandise that…

I think a big caveat here is "in cities". The author is from Seattle so I think they're writing from a perspective of someone for whom downtown is the furthest place they have to commute in a day. The other example given in the article quotes New York City. (and both quotes mention "urban")

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#78

Post by jogjayr »

solarengineer wrote: post #33
dingo_bat wrote: post #29

If I'm going to travel more than 3 kilometres or so, I'm doing it in a car. Motorcycles and cycles are just too unsafe for daily commuting, no matter how environmentally friendly. They will never replace cars for "millions of people".

Where do you live (where it is unsafe)? There are millions in my country (India) who safely use bicycles, mopeds, and motorbikes. The degree of safety depends upon the culture of the city as well as the road (highway, valley, etc).

> There are millions in my country (India) who safely use bicycles, mopeds, and motorbikes.

Every part of that statement is true except for the word "safely". I first got my driver's license in India, drove motorcycles and cars there, and then moved to the US. Based on my experience, as well as publicly available data, I can state as an objective fact that most drivers in India are terrible. You only have to look at the fatalities per million kilometers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-r... India is approximately 5x worse than the UK, which is near top of the list. Even taking into account the differences in quality of roads and emergency medical services, that's an _enormous_ difference. To a first approximation, any adult bicyclist in India cycles out of necessity (can't afford anything safer) not choice (again, first approximation; I have a retired uncle who cycles 40km every weekend for exercise). Motorbike and moped-riders are a bit of a mixed bag; some people who can't afford a car, others who prefer it for traffic and parking advantages.

Whenever I visit India, it's astonishing to me the number of risks drivers (of cars, 2-wheelers and trucks alike) take with their own and other people's lives for very little gain. The concept of a lane is alien to most drivers, motorbikes speed like crazy and weave in and out of traffic (even I used to do it when I was younger and didn't know any better), no one ever yields to pedestrians, traffic signals don't work or aren't followed unless there's a cop standing there. I could go on and on.

Lest you think I'm a total wuss, I love cycling in the US and it's my preferred mode of transportation for trips under 10 km. I've done plenty of cycling and motorbike riding in India also. But I would not dare ride a 2-wheeler on public roads in India on a consistent basis anymore. At least not until our driver training, licensing, testing, and enforcement regime becomes much stricter than it currently is.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#79

Post by EliRivers »

viral_krieger wrote: post #37
wildrhythms wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for mentioning the stigma around motorcycles and scooters in the U.S. They are seen as grown up toys, yet all over the world motorcycles serve as a primary means of transportation for millions of people. Careless drivers obviously aren't targeting motorcycles, but I think there's a collective lack of mindfulness to their presence on the road. Anecdotally, I became a better car driver after just a few weeks of…

What did you learn from riding a motorcycle?

I learned that car drivers cannot see motorbikes, so when I'm driving a car, I specifically look for them; every time I check the mirrors, or am waiting to pull out or across, I'm specifically looking for a motorbike, and when I shift lane I turn my head to see what model of motorbike is sitting in my blind spot.

Re: My Electric Bike Is Not ‘Cheating.’ It Could Replace Cars for Millions of People

#80

Post by averagewall »

Camillo wrote: post #46

How expensive is an electric bike? How do you keep it from getting stolen?

In China, they're about $300-$500 with lithium-ion battery. You can also get a kit (batteries, wheel with motor, wiring/etc) to convert a regular bike even more cheaply. The battery is the high-value part so you can take it out if you park outside overnight.
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