BikeWalkLee: The problem (and promise) of e-bikes

BikeWalkLee Column ‘Go Coastal’
The News-Press, September 8, 2022
by Ken Gooderham

E-bikes are a blessing. E-bikes are a curse. They are making biking more accessible and more dangerous.

That encapsulates the ambivalent way many feel about electric bicycles.

On one side, e-bikes make it possible for folks to ride longer – both longer distances and longer in their lives. The extra boost an e-bike brings to the road not only make it easier to keep riding, but may even bring some people back (or in for the first time) to bicycling as a reduced-exertion means of exercise and transportation.

In fact, cargo e-bikes are becoming a viable auto alternative in areas where climate and proximity make hauling things (and people) on two wheels possible. And when e-bikes show up for sale in places such as Costco, you know the trend is trending more mainstream.

Which may become part of the problem. In areas where e-bikes have proliferated, complains about e-bikes tend to follow the same pattern of growth. They tend to focus on two areas of conflict – speed and recklessness.

Before we plow ahead, a brief tangent into Florida Statutes regarding e-bikes.

The state has actually created three levels of e-bikes:

• Class 1: A bike with a motor that can assist a cyclist up to speeds of 20 mph – but pedaling is required.
• Class 2: A bike that can propel a bike (with or without the cyclist’s help) to speeds of 20 mph – which means a rider can go faster by turning a throttle, not pedaling faster.
• Class 3: A bike with a motor that can assist a cyclist up to speeds of 28 mph – again, thanks to a throttle they are able to reach speeds usually reserved for very good cyclists.

Florida Statutes give all three of these e-bikes “all the rights and privileges, and be subject to all of the duties, of a bicycle or the operator of a bicycle

So let’s return to the e-bike question: See any problem with an e-bike capable of going, say, 28 mph sharing a bike path with a regular bike (and cyclist) capable of going half that speed (if that)?

How about with a bicyclist of uncertain skills (either due to age or experience, since e-bikes can bring in folks who are new to biking or whose skills have begun to falter thanks to advancing years) on a fast-moving e-bike sharing the space with an equally skilled (or even very skilled) pedal-only cyclist? Then let’s throw in pedestrians, kids on scooters, baby strollers, pet walkers, etc.

The potential catastrophes almost write themselves.

There could be any number of unsafe and unpleasant interactions between e-bikes and regular bikes sharing the same bike path – not due to malice, but simple mass. E-bikes are heavier (due to motors) and faster (same reason), which means they can be harder to steer and (more important) harder to stop. Put them in the hands of an inattentive or inexperience cyclist, and you’ll understand why some folks find the e-bikes concerning.

So far, there have been limited instances of e-bike issues in our area (at least instances being reported), due to the low number of e-bikes and the general paucity of pedalers on our bike paths and lanes overall. (Complaints nationally have risen in areas with more e-bikes and more bikers in general.)

However, perhaps a portend of things to come, Sanibel has seen a rapid increase in presence of e-bikes on its Shared Use Path in recent years, prompting slower-moving path users to complain at City Council meetings. That has sparked consideration of more aggressive enforcement and education about the rules.

Florida law allows all e-bikes, and regular bikes, to operate on roads and streets; however, Florida law also allows local jurisdictions to restrict e-bike operation on paths and sidewalks. Sanibel has a current ordinance allowing Class 1 e-bikes to use the Shared Use Path (SUP) and Class 1 e-bikes can be rented on Sanibel. However, Class 2 and 3 e-bikes are not approved for use on the SUP – although they still show up there when people bring them onto the island.

The city has also restricted e-bikes from operating on the beaches to protect “the beach and dune systems from possible destruction or diminishment potentially caused by the use of e-bikes and other battery or electric-powered vehicles.” That rule took effect Aug. 30, so no more e-biking on the beaches there. (Frankly, any biking on the beach is not a great idea… bad for the bike, bad for the beach, not great for the other beachgoers or critters who call the beach home.)

Since e-bikes shine when people want to haul things (stuff and other, usually littler people), particularly up hills, the flat terrain and lack of people using bikes as primary transportation may serve as a natural control on e-bike excesses. This may also lessen demand for Class 2 or 3 bikes, since many local cyclists may not want to stop pedaling – they’d just like a little help with it.

But, as Sanibel shows, when problems pop up, the state lets local governments to regulate said bikes on streets, bike paths or beaches under their jurisdiction.

E-bike sales are projected to continue their rapid rise in the years ahead. For the benefits they can offer to an aging (or at least less energetic) population as well as to people seeking more environmentally friendly ways of getting around, let’s hope more people find e-bikes a welcome alternative. Who knows, perhaps some day we’ll even get to the point of offering to subsidize e-bikes as recognition of their eco benefits, similar to the way France (among others) incentivizes their purchase.

But let’s also hope that any rise in e-bikes brings with it a rise in responsible e-biking, for the safety of everyone out there on two wheels. Going faster doesn’t let you evade the rules of the road (or bike path) that govern us all.

Biking – with or without motors – should inspire fun, not fear.

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What’s ahead? Glimmers of hope for runners seeking races (albeit short ones), with the Tunnel Towers 5K next Saturday and the Downtown Dash 1-miler on Sept. 16. The 5K is at the fort Myers campus of Florida Southwestern State College, and the dash (as the name implies) is in downtown Fort Myers.

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EVENTS

FORT MYERS TRACK CLUB (ftmyerstrackclub.com):

• Tunnel to Towers 5K, Saturday, Sept. 10, FSW campus, Fort Myers.
• Downtown Dash 1 Mile Run, Friday, Sept. 16, downtown Fort Myers.
• Fort Myers Cops & Joggers 5K, Saturday, Oct. 8, downtown Fort Myers.
• Cape Coral Fire Department Fueled by Fire 5K, Saturday, Oct. 15, Tarpon Point, Cape Coral.
• 10K F.I.S.H. race, Saturday, Oct. 22, Sanibel Island.
• Turkey Trot 5K, Thursday, Nov. 24, downtown Fort Myers.
• City of Palms River Run 8K, Saturday, Dec. 3, downtown Fort Myers.
  

GC RUNNERS (gcrunner.org):

• Gulf to Gulf 80 Mile Relay, Saturday, Oct. 22, Naples to Sanibel and back.
• Olde Naples 10K, Sunday, Nov. 13, Rodgers Park, Naples.
• GCR Thanksgiving 5K, Thursday, Nov. 24, Cambier Park, downtown Naples.
  

ELITE EVENTS (runeliteevents.com):

• Naples Distance Classic Half-Marathon, 10K and 5K, Saturday, Oct. 8, Eagle Lakes Park, Naples.
• Naples Rocktoberfest 5K and 10K, Saturday, Oct. 22, North Collier Regional Park, Naples.
• Thanksgiving Day 5K, Thursday, Nov. 24, two locations – Hertz Arena, Estero, and Village Shops on Venetian Bay, Naples.
• Naples Fall Classic half marathon and 5K, Saturday, Dec. 10, Sugden Regional Park, Naples.
  

CYCLING 

The Caloosa Riders are offering member rides, but some are open to non-members (and it wouldn’t hurt you to join the club); check their ride calendar (caloosariders.org) for a description of the distance and speed, and to see if the ride is open to all.

SW Florida Critical Mass is offering their usual slate of family-friendly rides. Check out their line-up online (www.meetup.com/Biking-SWFL/events/) for details and times (and to make sure the ride is still rolling).

• SW Florida Critical Mass ride, first Friday of the month. A family-friendly slow night ride through Fort Myers. Front and rear bike lights required. Helmet and lights required, meet in the parking lot at 2180 West First Street, Fort Myers. 
• Sanibel Critical Mass night ride, second Saturday of the month. Gathers at Jerry’s Shopping Center, 1700 Periwinkle Way, on Sanibel. Lights required, helmets recommended.
• NE Lee Critical Mass ride, third Friday of the month. Gather in the Winn Dixie parking lot on Palm Beach Blvd. about five miles east of the Interstate; gather at 7 p.m. and roll at 7:30 p.m. for a slow ride through Fort Myers Shores.
• Cape Coral Critical Mass ride, fourth Friday of the month. Gather at the Southwest Florida Military Museum parking lot at 4820 Leonard Street for a family-friendly night ride through the Cape; helmets and lights required.
• Saturday Morning Slow Roll, fourth Saturday of the month. Meet-up at 2160 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. Recommended for inexperienced/young riders. Distance is 6 miles, includes group ride instruction.
  

TRIATHLONS

• Fort Desoto Sprint or Olympic Tri, Sunday, Sept. 18, St. Petersburg (fortdesototrilogy.com/ or runsignup.com)
• City Island Tri, Sunday, Oct. 9, Sarasota (https://run941.com/ or runsignup.com)
  

 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RIDE

Have a favorite route you like to bike, or a unique walk you’d like to share with others? Tell us about it at info@bikewalklee.org, and maybe we can feature it in an upcoming column.

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Ken Gooderham writes this on behalf of BikeWalkLee, a community coalition raising public awareness and advocating for complete streets in Lee County — streets that are designed, built, operated and maintained for safe and convenient travel for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Information, statistics and background online at bikewalklee.blogspot.com.