I’m all in favour of getting people out of cars and getting more cyclists on the road, but what if your “bicycle” is a 120kg scooter that goes over 30km/h and makes no noise?
I’m not the first person in Toronto who has noticed a growing number of scooter type e-bikes driven dangerously, by people who are not only new to driving but who think that they can drive anywhere, anytime. I’m happy to share the road with anyone, but you must act in a safe manner.
Yesterday, while on a routine bike ride to get groceries, I noticed e-bike drivers riding on sidewalks, not wearing helmets, running stop signs into heavy traffic and generally not showing any awareness of the danger they are posing to pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. Last week, I was hit by an e-bike that decided, at full speed, to move from the right-hand lane of the street into the bike lane. There was no bell, no horn, no warning.
Image: Now Magazine
Of course, the same behaviours I noticed are the same ones motorists frequently observe among cyclists. The only difference is e-bikes weigh much more, have more velocity and take longer to stop than bicycles. They are essentially motorized scooters that have pedals – which, from what I’ve seen, are merely useless appendages.
The pedals are a convenient loophole. They province’s oversight of e-bikes makes it clear that having pedals means e-bikes are considered bicycles under the law and e-bike drivers do not require a licence. And, according to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, e-bikes “do not have to meet any federal safety standards.”
I find this odd. If regulations exist in part to ensure the safety of those who operate cars, bikes, motorcycles, scooters and those around them, then why is simply having pedals enough to remove e-bikes from further oversight and regulation? Why not use weight, size or a similar measurement to determine the appropriate safety and regulatory approach?
If there is a bigger debate taking part in Toronto about how to balance the needs of cars, public transit, cyclists and pedestrians, then e-bikes should be added to this list.
New shops selling e-bikes are popping up everywhere, offering mobility to those who are not able to ride a bike – but e-bikes should be treated as what they are: heavy, motorized scooters.
Unsolicited Advice 
Ebikes weight much more than what? A typical old scooter-style ebike, the ones you seem to have a “problem” with typically weighed in at 75 kg and new lithium at 60 kg. A bicycle would typically weigh in at 15-20 kg. Add a 90 kg rider and you get combined weights of 150 kg (ebiker+ebike) vs 105 kg (cyclist+bike) , hardly an earth shattering difference. Do those extra 45 kg suddenly make the ebike a killing machine? Hardly. Besides, an contrary to your assertions, ebikes are safer to operate (assuming the operator operates them safely, you are assuming all ebikers are fresh off the turnip truck, never seen even a bicycle before) because they invariably have better brakes, have smaller wheels and a lower center of gravity making them more stable, and wider tires giving them more rubber on the road (not to mention a built in horn, mirrors, turn signals and brake light). If you had mirrors on your bicycle you would have been aware of someone closing in on you from behind and would not have been startled when someone came behind you. You were probably daydreaming and instead of blaming yourself for not being aware, you blamed someone else. If you ever got out your tape measure you would also find that ebikes are more or less the same width as most bicycles, at the handlebars where both are widest, and just as long, ebikes typically being shorter.
Did I miss some study that showed a conventional bicycle riding on one inch wide tires at the same speed as a slightly heavier ebike with far superior brakes (ebikes have three brakes, the electric motor, front an rear disc or drum) and 2.5 to 3 inch wide tires stops faster? Your statement is pure speculation. Ebikes are no more or less dangerous that conventional bicycles. That is not to say a bad ebike rider is safe, but that bad drivers of all description can be dangerous. I see a failure of the education system to teach from an early age the rules of the road to cyclists, not a failure of the system that approved ebikes as a safe, green, economical alternative means of transportation for Ontarians.
Thanks for your comment. I do agree with you that they key is educating cyclists and drivers alike.
Ummm… Many pedal-only cyclists can go faster then 30 kmh (down hills, for example), and are also pretty quiet?
True, but I think they downhill cyclists would be the exception rather than the rule. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Actually a fit cyclist can go 30 km/h on level ground quite easily. The record for a 100 year old man is over 24 km/h who rode for one full hour to achieve the record.
http://bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/2012/02/17/100-year-old-sets-cycling-record/
Quite frankly the claim that cyclists only go 15 km/h applies only to grannies, the unfit and children, and of course the recreational cyclist out for a Sunday ride. If you cannot keep up with a 100 year old man shame on you if you are that out of shape, maybe you should get an ebike and keep up with the real cyclists.
Ebikes allow more people to go farther and more often a Dutch study has shown (read one less car on the road for more people). Their energy use and pollution profiles are equal to bicycles studies have shown. What is the down side, some vague unproven “safety concerns”. People like you are quite willing to say they are for green products, and here is a safe product that can take a car of the road, reduce pollution both air and noise, is super energy efficient, yet they offend you. By the way, Canada did one of the largest studies of ebikes in the world when they approved ebikes and found them safe. Ontario did a three year pilot study and found them safe.
Near the beginning of your article you provide a link to a story about Ebikes being driven dangerously. Have you seen this video on YouTube?
“toronto cyclists say ebikes are not safe”
I don’t know if your blog allows links but a simple google search for that title will bring it up. It’s a perfect example of how cyclists that state Ebikes are not safe really should look in the mirror. If they based vehicle definitions on the operators rather then the vehicle itself there would be no cars or bicycles allowed anywhere either.
Your link to the MTO Ebike FAQ of “oversight of Ebikes” is simply your opinion.
How is this an oversight when Ontario agreed with the federal definition on ebikes and added two additional rules. The rider must be 16 and wear a helmet. That pretty much brings the Ebike rules in Ontario in line with the rest of the world. Is this an oversight because you don’t agree with it?
Then stating ‘according to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, e-bikes “do not have to meet any federal safety standards.”’
It would be interesting to see where you got that quote from. I can’t seem to find it anywhere. But still part six of the MTO Ebike FAQ has eight requirements. Three are pertaining to the rider and five are about the Ebike itself. These five points pertain to weight, power, electrical, braking and tire size. Are these not safety standards?
It seems your blog entry is based on your biased and misguided opinion rather then proper researching of facts.
Gary
I’m all for ebikes and sharing the road. However as a cyclist I do find myself waiting behind ebikers in the bike lane and I noticed on the city of Toronto website that while their motors are on ebikes should not be in the bike lane.
Here’s the link http://www.toronto.ca/cycling/index.htm
It says the following:
In City of Toronto, electric assist bicycles may be ridden on Toronto’s roads, but motors should not be used while on parks paths and trails or bicycle lanes. According to Toronto’s bylaws, bicycles using a bicycle lane or path must be propelled by muscular power, and not motor power.
This information might be out of date but I am curious if this is the current status of things and why ebikers aren’t aware of this in the City of Toronto. I also find it unclear whether ebikers should be riding in the middle of the road like a motorcycle or on the side with the bikes when there isn’t a bike lane or path. It would be great if the city could clarify and share this information with people using and selling ebikes.