m@Robertson
Well-known member
Nonsense. This kind of extremist, backward thinking is effectively saying "I want automobiles to continue to dominate the roads". Pedaled bicycles reached only so far into the population and they aren't going measurably further. The only thing that has spiked bicycle use upwards in American society is... motors, which democratize cycling, but piss off the cyclist curmudgeons who dislike seeing people get benefits without expending effort.A Class II bike that has a motor powerful enough that the rider does not need to pedal is in effect a motor-bike and should be subject to the same laws and restrictions. Class I and Class III bikes are not restricted on bike paths or city streets.
My e-bike provides pedal assist for speed up to 22 mph which is good enough for this 74 year old rider. If you want a motor scooter then operate it like a motorcycle and it will be safer for all concerned.
If your bike reaches 22 pedaling, and a Class II reaches 20 with no pedaling, then you are not complaining about speed you are complaining about not seeing people work for it. If Class 3 is safe at 28... 28 is 28 regardless of pedaling or throttling. So the genuine concern is not over safety at all.
Set all that aside and realize that more 2-wheelers mean fewer 4-wheelers. What is good for one person does not mean its good for everyone. Nor is it necessarily smart. For example, my commute included streets like these:
A straight residential road with a 45 mph speed limit. Straight as an arrow. Graded smooth.
Also on the same commute. 50 mph speed limit this time. Pedaling at 28 mph (or throttling) is unnoticed by everyone including the cops when I have worked it up to about 34 (many years and several thousands of miles' direct experience). Shared-use path on the right off the road is good for 20 mph, too.
The existence of primarily throttled ebikes has created a new class of urban mobility. And a change in thinking from young people on adding themselves to the legions of auto owners.

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Look at the forest. Not the trees.