Cheap personal transport that doesn't need a licence and doesn't burn gasoline? What sort of unamerican communism is this?

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

I advocate treating them like motorcycles. Because they are. So, licensing, registration, training.

Though in my experience, that makes forum jockeys extremely angry. Like I’m in the pocket of Big DMV and getting a cut of their $10 fees or something.

I live in a small town and was stepping out of a tiny office supplies shop when WOOSH a teen on an ebike went past at like 30kph right by the door. I walk fast and were I three steps further it would’ve been a full collision before either of us knew what was happening.

A lot technically are electric motorbikes (or would be under UK law, where I live).

To be an ebike, it needs to have no more than 250W peak power, have a power assist speed limit of 25kph (15mph) and require pedaling for power assist.

If it goes outside any of these, it becomes a electric motorbike, and requires a numberplate, insurance etc.

These rules seem very reasonable to me. Though I can see an argument for a slightly higher power limit for electric cargo bikes (400/500W). They are also starting to be enforced more critically now.

I've no issues with electric dirt bikes, but they belong with the road traffic at that point, not on the cycling infrastructure.

They should ban the fast ones then, not all them

Same. Just witnessed kid breaking his skull iyn my street in ebike collision. Not a thing I'll endorse for kids.

This is something I don't get about E-Bike regulation: it seems to target the wrong things.

In my country throttle-controlled bikes did qualify as e-bikes, now they don't anymore. So the relevant distinction for an e-bike is that you have to control the throttle by moving your feet in a circular motion. Big whoop. It's like regulating that a car is only a car if you have to spin the gas pedal with your feet instead of pressing it. It makes no difference.

The other thing they regulate is the power. But what does more power actually mean? All it means is that you get to the top speed a little quicker, that does nothing.

Because contrary to cars, e-bikes are required to have an electronic speed cut-off.

That's the only thing that really matters in regards to regulation.

Over here the max speed for pedal assist is 25km/h, which is easily achieved by regular bikers. And regular bikers are not regulated in regards to power output or control scheme either.

Regular non-motorized bikes can go 20+ MPH on flat ground. Also good to point out that there's a difference between e-bikes and e-motos. An e-bike is just pedal-assist, won't go without pedaling and is generally speed throttled pretty low. An e-moto is for all intents and purposes an electric moped / motorcycle (Some of them have do-nothing pedals to disguise this fact) and should probably be kept away from children in most contexts. But nothing is wrong with any of these vehicles so long the jurisdiction has sensible licensing rules and public outreach concerning the last category. The rest of the vehicular laws are already there. Ultimately the problem of e-motos is one of governments having to get off their ass and formally recognize them.

yup. limit to the legit class 1 and 2 models only, the ones with speed and power output limiters.

if they don't want them 'driven' on school property, just make that a requirement: pedal or push only while on school grounds.. motors off. lock 'em up soon as you get there, don't unlock 'em til you're ready to leave. no hanging-out or loitering by the racks. register with the school office.

want kids to be safe: helmets required. offer safety classes.. which really should be a thing at any school with a significant number of bicycle riders. one specifically for ebikes, including for parents of those kids so they know what those kinds of bikes are actually capable of and how they should be ridden.