this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2025
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Yeah it probably does need regulation. Pedelecs only. No throttle control*, limit to 500 watts**, no motor assist after 20 mph/32 km/hr. Anything above that has no pedals and is classified as ~~moped~~ scooter or electric motorbike and put onto the road. Draw a clear distinction between pedelecs (commonly called ebikes) and everything else.
(*Exemptions for medical reasons, so they can still use bike paths. Not sure how that'd be manufactured for small number. **Maybe more for hauling bikes.)
I'm kind of looking at ebikes for my ~10 mile commute to work, which uses no bike paths. 20 mph would be okay, but faster would be nice. Part of the route is on a country road, the rest is on the shoulder of a 50 mph highway (which is pretty wide and very popular for cycling already).
I understand the bike path concern, but in my use case, there isn't much reason to be limited to 20 mph.
I work for a bike shop, though, so I might be limited to brands they sell. :)
If there's no speed limit then it shouldn't belong in the bike lane - it's more akin to an electric motorcycle.
"If there's no speed limit in a car, it shouldn't belong in a city - it's a race car"
Unironically yes
And please, with some automatic speed limiter that reads and observes road signs and basic traffic laws.
An excellent comparison, we know that excessive speed has never caused fatal accidents in cars before! Everyone follows the laws about speed limits, because we can trust our fellow citizens to do so, right?