Two bills moving through the California legislature this year could change how e-bikes are bought, ridden, and regulated across the state. One would require
Just as an inspiration: in Germany the cut-off is 25 km/h (I’ll leave doing the math to you). I think that’s almost reasonable. Personally I’d favor 30 km/h, because that’s a common speed limit for residential areas over here and that would allow them to better flow with traffic.
That’s only 15 mph and it pretty damned terrible, really. That’s slower than my cruising speed on my road bike and only half as fast as my burst speed when trying to go really quick. 40kmh would be about 25mph and that seems like an acceptable speed to have without being too unsafe to me.
Ah, an important fact I forgot to mention this rule applies to bikes with pedalling assistance, so pedelecs, strictly speaking. Real E-bikes, that can use their motor by flicking a switch always require a license plate. That’s the silly part of the law her, imho. I just added this fact after having written the rest.
If you’re doing more than 15 mph as a long-term cruising speed and 30 mph burst, I have to assume, you’re a fairly fit and healthy person. And of course it wouldn’t feel unsafe for you to do the same speeds with an E-bike.
But what you have to consider is, that these bikes are also very popular with people who are not fit enough to reach those speeds unassisted and maybe haven’t even ridden a bike for a long time. When I see some of our elderly citizens using them, I’m pretty happy they aren’t allowed to go that much faster, since they are also not restricted to use roads and often share the way with pedestrians.
What you also have to put into consideration is, that this limit doesn’t mean, that you cannot go faster, it’s just that the assistance shuts of at ~15 mph and everything on top, you have to pedal in yourself. Which is a bit more exhausting, due to the overall heavier bike, but something I regularly do, even though I ride a pretty shoddy 10 year-old bike with less than ideal mechanics.
The overall experience of riding a bike like that is pretty damn great still and not at all as terrible, as you make it sound. You can go your regular cruising speed on flat parts, no restriction for downhill, but you get an extra lift for uphill sections, and what’s the biggest plus for me is the extra acceleration - and ease thereof - when you have to stop at cross-sections and traffic-lights.
It’s all depended on the surrounding traffic and environment a bit, so I’m not saying a carbon copy of that rule would be ideal for the US for example. But even though I’d wish for 3 mph more, it works pretty well around here. And don’t forget that you can simply get a bike with a license plate for anythig beyond those rules.
You make some good points. What is of special annoyance in the US is that bikes are NOT allowed where pedestrians walk. Bikes are required to be in bike lanes (don’t exist in most areas) or on the road with vehicles. The city I work in for instance, has quite a few sidewalks for people, but bikes aren’t allowed on them. They just have to be in streets with other cars.
Just as an inspiration: in Germany the cut-off is 25 km/h (I’ll leave doing the math to you). I think that’s almost reasonable. Personally I’d favor 30 km/h, because that’s a common speed limit for residential areas over here and that would allow them to better flow with traffic.
That’s only 15 mph and it pretty damned terrible, really. That’s slower than my cruising speed on my road bike and only half as fast as my burst speed when trying to go really quick. 40kmh would be about 25mph and that seems like an acceptable speed to have without being too unsafe to me.
Ah, an important fact I forgot to mention this rule applies to bikes with pedalling assistance, so pedelecs, strictly speaking. Real E-bikes, that can use their motor by flicking a switch always require a license plate. That’s the silly part of the law her, imho. I just added this fact after having written the rest.
If you’re doing more than 15 mph as a long-term cruising speed and 30 mph burst, I have to assume, you’re a fairly fit and healthy person. And of course it wouldn’t feel unsafe for you to do the same speeds with an E-bike. But what you have to consider is, that these bikes are also very popular with people who are not fit enough to reach those speeds unassisted and maybe haven’t even ridden a bike for a long time. When I see some of our elderly citizens using them, I’m pretty happy they aren’t allowed to go that much faster, since they are also not restricted to use roads and often share the way with pedestrians.
What you also have to put into consideration is, that this limit doesn’t mean, that you cannot go faster, it’s just that the assistance shuts of at ~15 mph and everything on top, you have to pedal in yourself. Which is a bit more exhausting, due to the overall heavier bike, but something I regularly do, even though I ride a pretty shoddy 10 year-old bike with less than ideal mechanics.
The overall experience of riding a bike like that is pretty damn great still and not at all as terrible, as you make it sound. You can go your regular cruising speed on flat parts, no restriction for downhill, but you get an extra lift for uphill sections, and what’s the biggest plus for me is the extra acceleration - and ease thereof - when you have to stop at cross-sections and traffic-lights.
It’s all depended on the surrounding traffic and environment a bit, so I’m not saying a carbon copy of that rule would be ideal for the US for example. But even though I’d wish for 3 mph more, it works pretty well around here. And don’t forget that you can simply get a bike with a license plate for anythig beyond those rules.
You make some good points. What is of special annoyance in the US is that bikes are NOT allowed where pedestrians walk. Bikes are required to be in bike lanes (don’t exist in most areas) or on the road with vehicles. The city I work in for instance, has quite a few sidewalks for people, but bikes aren’t allowed on them. They just have to be in streets with other cars.