Something even easier to implement than public transit is treating e-scooters and e-bikes like first class citizens. Governments love to restrict their speed to make them uncompetitive with cars without an easy legal alternative.
We recently moved to a very bike friendly city in California, and it’s a night and day difference to where we had moved from in Texas. There are bike lanes, and bike racks EVERYWHERE.
There is also a heavily used e-bike/e-scooter service available as well. Its been a genuine game changer.
Separate lanes and bike racks all over the place means that the e-scooters aren’t ditched all over the sidewalk AND the separate bike lanes do not disrupt traffic so the drivers don’t hate them either. We’ve only used our vehicle for commuting to work since moving here. For everything else, we walk, bike, or scooter. Bought a little collapsible wagon for grocery shopping too!
AND the separate bike lanes do not disrupt traffic so the drivers don’t hate them either.
Oh, they usually still hate them. In there minds, that’s a lane of traffic that got taken away. For those people, I usually like to point out an unused sidewalk and complain that those damned pedestrians are also taking away perfectly good driving space.
I doubt speed is an adequate consideration here. Especially considering lack of dedicated protection like helmets and other coverings. Access, usability, price (assuming rental), and dedicated protected lanes for travel are much more important, but harder to manage.
Something even easier to implement than public transit is treating e-scooters and e-bikes like first class citizens. Governments love to restrict their speed to make them uncompetitive with cars without an easy legal alternative.
As a cyclist, electric motorbikes are already a thing and belong in the traffic lanes. I’m not sharing a cycle path with idiots doing 40mph.
Yeah I’ve got an e-bike and there’s no way those motorcycles belong in the bike lane. If the motor can send you that fast, it’s no longer a bicycle…
I was thinking of getting an electric motorcycle at one point but a regular bike is so much cheaper and I don’t really need it.
We recently moved to a very bike friendly city in California, and it’s a night and day difference to where we had moved from in Texas. There are bike lanes, and bike racks EVERYWHERE.
There is also a heavily used e-bike/e-scooter service available as well. Its been a genuine game changer.
Separate lanes and bike racks all over the place means that the e-scooters aren’t ditched all over the sidewalk AND the separate bike lanes do not disrupt traffic so the drivers don’t hate them either. We’ve only used our vehicle for commuting to work since moving here. For everything else, we walk, bike, or scooter. Bought a little collapsible wagon for grocery shopping too!
Oh, they usually still hate them. In there minds, that’s a lane of traffic that got taken away. For those people, I usually like to point out an unused sidewalk and complain that those damned pedestrians are also taking away perfectly good driving space.
Speed while moving is almost never the most important variable in local transport time, waiting is. Just slow down. The same is true for cars.
It’s important for safety. Bike lanes are not common, and I don’t want to be stuck going 15mph on a road where the cars zoom past at 35mph or more.
I doubt speed is an adequate consideration here. Especially considering lack of dedicated protection like helmets and other coverings. Access, usability, price (assuming rental), and dedicated protected lanes for travel are much more important, but harder to manage.