Please get the Motorcycles off of Our Bike Trails

[Baz]

"Ain't gonna happen on my watch!"

Freaking legend!

[Paul_Heery]

That is great! I can envision groups getting together to perform the "E-bike Toss Workout Routine"

[john70t]

"Please get the *Idiots* off of Our Bike Trails."
first cars, then bikes, then shoes? When will this permitting end?

Bikes are supposed to be the car replacement for the inner city utopia. Even in the middle of winter..

My uh town removed almost all the downtown street parking spots, took out crucial lanes, installed barriers at all intersections(which were quickly destroyed), and created huge concrete barriers for bike traffic. SEPARATE TRAFFIC FOR SAFETY. Okay. Actually they wanted to kill the car.

A bit of an obstacle hazard for motorists and bikes are not subject to 1-way rules. cough. At some busy intersections it actually creates more of a hazard when turning against frustrated drivers. Good ideas at the time but the implementation was seriously deficient. It killed almost ALL day-visitor attraction to the city, and created huge traffic jams with cars idling. All that visitor money gone from the coffers. My taxes.

Electric bikes are still great for those with limited mobility issues.
Don't knock a good thing before it's time.

[911 Rod]

Originally Posted by john70t

My uh town removed almost all the downtown street parking spots, took out crucial lanes, installed barriers at all intersections which were quickly destroyed, and created huge concrete barriers for bike traffic. SEPARATE TRAFFIC. A bit of an obstacle hazard for motorists and bikes are not subject to 1-way rules. cough. At some busy intersections it actually creates more of a hazard when turning. Good ideas at the time but the implementation was seriously deficient. It killed almost all day-visitor attraction to the city and created traffic jams with cars idling.

Toronto did the same.

[dlockhart]

[CurtEgerer]

Originally Posted by Baz

"Ain't gonna happen on my watch!"

Freaking legend!

A classic.

[CurtEgerer]

Originally Posted by dlockhart

Nothing against the bike itself or other e-(motor)cycles. Looks fun to ride. But ride them on the ORV trails where they belong along with gas motorcycles, side-by-sides, etc. There're more ORV trails than bicycle trails. I'm not sure why there is this confusion about motors? Is it the pervasive green-movement logic of: gas motor = bad / e-motor = our Lord and savior.

[astrochex]

Driving home from church yesterday on a beautiful two-lane road, my wife and I approached a train of slower moving cars, not uncommon on this route where sometimes people drive very conservatively and sometimes there are cyclists.

At some point I can see that a bike of some sort is causing the slowing, not a car. We get to a point near a causeway where there is another lane and an onramp, so I can see the offender . One, it does turn out to be an ebike ridden by a guy (late 20s-early 30s maybe) with no safety gear on; but two; he has an infant/toddler strapped to his front, similarly without any protection. I only saw the infant because I looked in the rear-view mirror. I did a double take because I could not believe the neglect, but then I remembered this is Florida and it made sense.

[Baz]

The bicyclist who died was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

[Deschodt]

I didn't wanna say it, but pretty much all the arguments used by the OP against E-bikes from a bike perspective could be used.... by car drivers vs bikes (regular or electric).

And I mean that in the nicest possible tongue in cheek way, not to pick a fight with cyclists. It's basically the exact same issue, just transposed on bike trails, of dissimilar vehicles, different speeds on the same road, and not obeying rules. I don't have a solution... And to be sure there are idiots in all camps, not pointing fingers aside from the irony here.

Ebikes on roads are dangerous in the hands of some, modified, super quick, no permits, no skills / knowledge of traffic laws, and often super dangerous for pedestrians. The scariest to me are intersections where car drivers cannot be expected to monitor a silent ebike coming super fast from a sidewalk "pretending to be a 30 mph pedestrian." Bang.

I know it's not PC or inclusive but I just don't believe AT ALL in sharing the road, period, purely from a standpoint of also not allowing parachute drops on active runways. It doesn't mix well. In any contentious situation a bike in car traffic (E or not) is gonna lose by virtue of showing up to a swordfight in their underwear while the other guy is fully armored. I would like some roads to be bike only, and good bike lanes to be present on some cool roads for riding, but laws to apply to ALL (stops, red lights, not blocking roads riding side by side).

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Deschodt

I didn't wanna say it, but pretty much all the arguments used by the OP against E-bikes from a bike perspective could be used.... by car drivers vs bikes (regular or electric).

And I mean that in the nicest possible tongue in cheek way, not to pick a fight with cyclists. It's basically the exact same issue, just transposed on bike trails, of dissimilar vehicles, different speeds on the same road, and not obeying rules. I don't have a solution... And to be sure there are idiots in all camps, not pointing fingers aside from the irony here.

Ebikes on roads are dangerous in the hands of some, modified, super quick, no permits, no skills / knowledge of traffic laws, and often super dangerous for pedestrians. The scariest to me are intersections where car drivers cannot be expected to monitor a silent ebike coming super fast from a sidewalk "pretending to be a 30 mph pedestrian." Bang.

I know it's not PC or inclusive but I just don't believe AT ALL in sharing the road, period, purely from a standpoint of also not allowing parachute drops on active runways. It doesn't mix well. In any contentious situation a bike in car traffic (E or not) is gonna lose by virtue of showing up to a swordfight in their underwear while the other guy is fully armored. I would like some roads to be bike only, and good bike lanes to be present on some cool roads for riding, but laws to apply to ALL (stops, red lights, not blocking roads riding side by side).

I'm sure you will find this surprising, but I would actually agree with you. The mixed use of our motorways is a profoundly stupid idea. The entitlement exhibited by your typical cyclist is as potentially deadly as it is ill advised. And yes, this comes from a cyclist.

My feelings on this matter are a large part why I believe that motor vehicles should be barred from using bicycle trails. Motor vehicles have their own damn roads. Bicycle trails are supposed to be a safe haven from those motor vehicles where we can enjoy the slower pace of human power without being passed by someone doing 40 mph or more on a motor cycle.

I only ride our local bike trails and on roads with dedicated bicycle lanes. I'm blessed in that my area has an abundance of both, and I fully realize what a blessing that is. I'm not sure what the answer is either in locales that do not enjoy a number of options for cyclists, but I'm relatively sure that allowing motor vehicles on trail systems set aside for human power is not an "answer" to anything.

[Deschodt]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I'm sure you will find this surprising, but I would actually agree with you.

Nah, I find you to be quite reasonable and I don't think I posted too-objectionable stuff..
I always believed it was madness to have bikes and cars share roads when cars have potentially 2x 3x speed differentials, a bit like having a school crosswalk in the middle of a golf range. Local laws are strengthening against E-bikes, so you're not alone, I see teens doing wheelies on the sidewalks daily, it's not gonna end well for some unlucky family.
The E-part is the real issue, I could argue that as much of a car-nut as I am, I don't think it's wise to sell a 1200 HP Lucid AIR to.. just about anybody with a pulse... Slightly different issue but in a similar vein as ebikes to kids.

[911 Rod]

I rarely hear about e bike riders getting hurt and see them all the time ripping around like a water bug ignoring all laws and general common sense.
Maybe there are not as many crashes as we think?

[herr_oberst]

A young guy died here last week after a crash on his ebike. Pothole, no helmet. A week in ER. Left behind a wife and two kids, as I recall.

[911 Rod]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

A young guy died here last week after a crash on his ebike. Pothole, no helmet. A week in ER. Left behind a wife and two kids, as I recall.

That's one.
You'd think they would be dropping like flies.
Anyone here work in a ER?

[group911@aol.co]

No doubt there is a 20000% increase in e-bile deaths in the last 20 years.
And of course, they didn't exist 20 years ago.

[group911@aol.co]

And, just like that, everything is cancelled. Got what you wished for right?
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-22/trump-cancels-trail-bike-lane-grants-deemed-hostile-to-cars

[Baz]

OK, this is pretty whack.......

[cstreit]

Lotta hate for e-bikes, reminds me of when them horseless carriages took over the streets.

[dlockhart]

Sad but not unexpected.

https://www.ktnv.com/news/electric-scooter-death-highlights-safety-concerns-for-las-vegas-youth