Quote Originally Posted by Kiwi Stoker View Post
E-bikes have some problems-
They are silent- so you cannot hear them coming. And of course quite a few e-bike riders ride them on footpaths as they are afraid of the roads. Accidents happen and these things are heavy and fast.
E-bike riders often ignore rules- they don't consider themselves car or motorbikes so ride everywhere and don't even wear cycle helmets.
E-bikes often put power in the hands of someone unable to handle it- just like motorised scooters for the elderly, sometimes having power in the hands of someone unable to control it being either too young or frail of health also can cause accidents.
I'm glad you brought this up, since I for one have limited exposure to these bikes (have seen them but have not ridden one or shared traffic with one) -- but I think these are problems can definitely benefit from some public education and safety awareness/classes, much as non-motorized bicycling has come a long way, and continues to. Every now and then I meet another person who thinks it's safer to bike on the left side of the road and I think these are just typical growing pains as two-wheeled transportation becomes more popular -- we go through a learning curve trying to figure out how to share the road.

Pardon my syntax, I've had a couple glasses of wine