In London e-bikes have basically take over delivery of small stuff. A decade or so ago they tended to use motor scooters but there are a lot less restrictions on e-bikes.
In Australia too.
They don't follow any road rules and ride on the footpaths at insane speeds.
They're not actually legal - I believe the law is that if they can go over 17kph without pedalling then they must be registered, have indicators, etc. But nobody seems to do anything about it.
I guess some elderly pedestrians must die before something is done.
In London e-bikes have basically take over delivery of small stuff. A decade or so ago they tended to use motor scooters but there are a lot less restrictions on e-bikes.
In Australia too. They don't follow any road rules and ride on the footpaths at insane speeds. They're not actually legal - I believe the law is that if they can go over 17kph without pedalling then they must be registered, have indicators, etc. But nobody seems to do anything about it. I guess some elderly pedestrians must die before something is done.
In the UK the police sometimes confiscate some of the illegal bikes that can to 30 mph+. The legal ones are limited to 15 mph. But yeah it's kind of chaotic.
It's a job and it pays the bills. Nobody is calling it a career.
You read the article, listened to the stories, and looked at the pictures, right? This is obviously the only source of income for many of those people. They're economically trapped and you're just happy to sell them e-bikes and pretend that it materially improved their conditions. Oh, but it's greenwashing nonsense, so everyone turns off their critical reasoning skills, and pretends it's a secret virtue that they do…
Never let an article about e-bikes used for delivery distract you from fostering a socialist revolution!
In London e-bikes have basically take over delivery of small stuff. A decade or so ago they tended to use motor scooters but there are a lot less restrictions on e-bikes.
E bikes can be used by 15-16 year olds so Dominos uses them a lot here in the Netherlands.
It's a job and it pays the bills. Nobody is calling it a career.
You read the article, listened to the stories, and looked at the pictures, right? This is obviously the only source of income for many of those people. They're economically trapped and you're just happy to sell them e-bikes and pretend that it materially improved their conditions. Oh, but it's greenwashing nonsense, so everyone turns off their critical reasoning skills, and pretends it's a secret virtue that they do…
It probably does improve their conditions - the main difference between developed and less developed places is better tech. And e-bikes are pretty much global - there's not much colonial about it.
I wonder why is still anyone NOT using e-bikes for delivery. This is the lowest hanging fruit ever. No charging issues (just a normal wall socket is more than enough), no range issues - trips are short and battery can be swapped by a person in seconds to the one that was charging. Almost zero running costs compared to a two-stroke.
Not all cities are like yours - in Houston, it's reasonably common for a business to offer delivery "anywhere within the inner loop", which is just the smallest of three beltways which circumscribe the city. The inner loop is 100 sq. miles (260 sq. kilometers). Right now (4:30PM on a Monday) drive times and cycling times are comparable (close enough its not really a deciding factor). But bicycling 6-10 miles for each…
Again i'm comparing with two-wheel two-stroke mopeds, not with cars... Using cars for delivery is all but impractical anyway because they stand in traffic ESPECIALLY in a city "not like mine", i'd hate to get my food ordered at 6pm, by 7.30, inedibly cold.
Not all cities are like yours - in Houston, it's reasonably common for a business to offer delivery "anywhere within the inner loop", which is just the smallest of three beltways which circumscribe the city. The inner loop is 100 sq. miles (260 sq. kilometers). Right now (4:30PM on a Monday) drive times and cycling times are comparable (close enough its not really a deciding factor). But bicycling 6-10 miles for each…
Again i'm comparing with two-wheel two-stroke mopeds, not with cars... Using cars for delivery is all but impractical anyway because they stand in traffic ESPECIALLY in a city "not like mine", i'd hate to get my food ordered at 6pm, by 7.30, inedibly cold.
Ah. Good comparison, I completely agree. And also, your description of long wait and cold food is reasonably accurate for Houston - it shocks me that food delivery apps are still so popular here; most people seem to talk about mainly bad experiences, but keep using it anyways.
In Australia too. They don't follow any road rules and ride on the footpaths at insane speeds. They're not actually legal - I believe the law is that if they can go over 17kph without pedalling then they must be registered, have indicators, etc. But nobody seems to do anything about it. I guess some elderly pedestrians must die before something is done.
In the UK the police sometimes confiscate some of the illegal bikes that can to 30 mph+. The legal ones are limited to 15 mph. But yeah it's kind of chaotic.
I've seen them here going >70kph, just judging by them going faster than 60kph traffic.
But people must have their Ubereats and safety costs money, so the deaths will be justified, I suppose.
Small off-topic, I see those boxed backpacks and think of their shoulders. On motorbike the box rests in the back of the seat but here all the weight is in the shoulders. People who have done some mountain hiking knows that the weight of the backpack should be mostly in the waist, thanks to the waist belt (sorry if I don't use the right term, I've done most my hiking in Spanish ;) ). I don't know how weight distribut…
I can see numerous reasons why you'd want the backpack rather than a box on the bike for food delivery (may not apply for other deliveries): - no need to fuss when you mount/dismount your bike, your backpack is already on your shoulders. Speed is key. - the focus is not on carrying capacity, it's on speedy delivery. There's only so much food in their backpack. - because of the time waiting for orders / going to the r…
Counterpoint: when biking, you generally desire to have your center of mass be lower rather than higher, for better stability and handling.