The move is in response to many young electric bike riders who often take to the streets without having tested for or received a typical driver’s license for a standard car. That means they are often ignorant of many traffic laws and safety information.
Assembly Bill 530, which will soon enter committee, would require both an online written test and a state-issued identification for riders who do not have a driver’s license. The bill would also ban riders under 12 years old from riding e-bikes.
So I’ve been riding both for over a decade. And this kind of cracks me up for several reasons. 1. I can in fact travel faster on my road bike then my electric bike. The components add more weight. 2. There is already a law limiting the top speed of the assist system to 20/25 mph. So to think you have these cruising at 40mph is crazy. And for reference, I have hit this speed and it’s terrifying on most bikes. 3. Studies have shown that imposing restrictions like this simple decrease participation which in turn adds to sedimentary behavior which is a lot worse for you in the end. 4. This reminds me of the same nonsense as a representative that tried to create a seat belt law for motorcycles…
All good information.
I laughed at
> sedimentary behavior
I too try not to settle down at the bottom of lakes and rivers…
They gonna pair that with more bike infrastructure? Or are they leaving the onus on the bike riders to watch out for themselves when dealing with cars. I mean, safety is the concern, right?
This is a great idea. I live in a small town in California and there are always tweens going 40 miles per hour on their ebikes, usually with no protective gear and at least one passenger. They’re a menace both to pedestrians and to themselves.
These kind of bastards is what gives us fellow ebike enjoyers a bad rep. Now I’m not saying “we aren’t all like that”, however, isn’t it the whole point? Like I mean there are enough of these menaces to warrant some sort of prohibition. But then isn’t it also a kind of diversion from the main topic of corrupt city planning and availability of proper bike lanes? I mean sure go ahead and blame it on the end user, not the provider.
