HOW SHOULD E-BIKES BE REGULATED?

Electric bicycles (aka e-bikes) are growing in popularity. Some suggest that e-bikes make cycling a more practical option for getting around by providing a boost for getting up hills, and giving older bones and weary muscles a bit of a break. Thus far only about 1% of the new bicycles sold in the US have been e-bikes, but in some European countries (notably the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria) e-bikes account for a quarter of all sales. In many US communities the laws regulating e-bike use need to catch up. In many places there’s ambiguity about the types of e-bikes that are allowed, and where people can ride them. Some e-bikes are more powerful than others, and move too fast for bike lanes shared with slower cyclists. Washington state advocates are working with state legislators to clarify the rules for e-bike operation on streets and trails. See the chart that classifies access and use by the type of assistance an e-bike provides and the maximum assist speed. See the related article at StreetsBlog USA: https://bit.ly/2GDXMk2