E-bikes belong on roads, not city pathways
By Letter to the Editor on April 24, 2021.
Editor: Technology continues at a rate that is profound when you think that not long ago 27-speed bikes with disc brakes were the norm. These bikes and others from one speed and up require energy and it’s all your energy.Â
Then comes along the e-bike. Ah, we can pedal if we want to and go up hills like a motor bike . That’s where the concerns begin.Â
The e-bike is really a motor bike. Therefore, it needs to be licenced, insured and allowed only on roads, not on bike paths or bike trails.
Close calls are now common with e-bike users that speed by families with regular bikes, children with small bikes, dogs on leashes and people of all ages walking to and fro.
 I have nothing against e-bikers, it’s just that you need to motor on the road.Â
The bike paths and trails were constructed, and continue to be constructed, for people willing to use their energy on regular bikes to remain healthy and even contribute to less traffic , less pollution and at a comparatively slower rate than e-bikes.
Gaylen Armstrong
Lethbridge
-1
Or you could be courteous and share the pathways with cyclists. I suppose you feel the motorized carts for the disabled belong on the roads as well. Seguay’s? roller blades? Hover’s? Skateboards? I have an e-bike, stay on the designated bike paths, have a horn, give lots of warning and I get left behind by plenty of cyclists without motors. If you see someone kicking a soccer ball down a pathway soccer tell them to take it to soccer pitches. I agree, some are jerks, but so are some walkers who let a little too much leash out on Fido, enough to bear the jaws and be with in inches of you. I particularly enjoy the piles of dog crap to navigate around. Maybe you should carry a bag and take care of that problem for everyone. I have completed thousands of km of cycling since Sept. Have had one complaint about riding the pathways. Must have been you.
I don’t think e-bikes are the problem on those pathways, but rather inconsiderate people in general.
i feel the writer’s concern is valid. however, i do not think it is necessary to force the e-bikes to the road, nor licence them as motorised. buck and seth each make the point that the issue might be solved by common sense and thoughtfulness of all users cooperatively. most are already there, but we seem to need to get the message out. hmm, being considerate and knowing what is common sense could be good concepts to include in a school curriculum…but that would either require a longer day, or forgoing memorisation of shogun japan and factoring polynomials. i do not think anyone wants a longer day.
electric bikes, skateboards, scooters, hoverboards are all classed as vehicles, should require licence, proper insurance and testing, what you see now is ignorant drivers who feel because they are electric they have the right of way. Electric scooters are a serious problem read the Calgary injury reports or any City . Calgary has put in a good bylaw. There is a lady who operates a electric scooter on sidewalk along mayor Magrath south with a young child between her legs, have pictures ,electric bikes riding thru crosswalks it is getting to be a nuisance but somebody is in for serious body damage, check the Calgary and big city files.
Great more bureaucracy, more regulations, more spending, the very things you despise.
this is not only a problem with e-bikes, but is a problem with motor vehicles as well. they don’t stop at stop signs, they speed and they run red lights. they also do not stop at red lights when making a right turn an they do not read instruction signs that read do not block the intersection wait here for light. lets ban these as they are a problem. maybe its the operators need to for go their egos and follow the guide lines indicated’
and such is the problem with hoping that people can be common sense on the paths without some additional structure/enforcement.
the problem is there is very little enforcement by traffic cops for all vehicle types, yesterday observed an e-bike traveling north on Mayor Magrath on the sidewalk through crosswalks against lights, but a police truck traveling in same direction in the north lane did nothing, idiot cyclist now motorized idiots.Back in the 60’s we had gas motor bikes but we required license.