40 mile days

@pmf 182610 wrote:

amiwrong?

Yes.

Stop it.

This is one of the few Internet communities I am aware of that virtually never gets into flame throwing. Let’s keep it that way. Thanks.

@pmf 182628 wrote:

I’m fine with people riding electric bikes. I think it’s lazy, but that’s opinion and I’m entitled to one. What bothers me is that electric bikes put a lot of speed into the hands of a lot of inexperienced bike riders. They should be banned on the MUT. I’ve been commuting from Vienna to DC for over two decades. It’s gone from maybe seeing one or two of them a week to getting passed by them several times each way every day. Yesterday, a guy on an ebike passed me and then zipped by the guy 20 yards in front of me around a blind corner. Or the guy that passed me going the other direction on the 14-th street bridge two days ago. He was literally going 25-30 mph. What would have happened if that idiot had hit some debris? I see people on these bikes doing really dumbass stuff pretty often. Do people on ‘real bikes’ do dumbass stuff? Yes they do, but I see it on a higher frequency with people riding ebikes. Having the ability to ride faster than anyone else on the bike path is a dangerous thing in the hands of relatively inexperienced bike riders. The bike path is not very wide and sometimes heavily used, so anything that minimizes people doing dumbass stuff is an improvement. And in my opinion, that would include banning ebikes, After all, they’re motorized vehicles. I dread the day — and its coming — when half the bikes on the bike trail are going to have motors on them. And what’s it going to be like when I’m riding up the Rosslyn hill and there’s all these impatient folks behind me on ebikes that are pissed that I can’t go up that hill at 20 mph? The situation right now is tolerable, but at the rate this is going, it won’t be five years from now.

Wanna ride an ebike? More power to you, but ride it with the rest of the motorized vehicles, not on the bike path. If you really need a motor on your bike, maybe the Metro is a good commuting option. The bike path was never intended to be used by motorized vehicles.

Understood. We have a thread devoted to the issue, but it didn’t see much traffic. Only 1,157 differing opinions so far.

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?851-e-Bikes-Let-s-talk

My own experience on the MVT lately is that Ebike riders are riding MORE politely than human powered riders – though I think I am really thinking of the subset of human powered riders who are males of a certain age, riding road bikes. (I love my very polite friends with road bikes, but for this comparison it doesn’t really make sense to include CaBi riders and newbie hybrid riders, now does it?) In particular I think there is one particular ebike rider who makes it a very deliberate point of calling his passes and passing with a lot of room, almost as if he were conscious of the optics issue. And guess what, he has convinced me.

@lordofthemark 182634 wrote:

My own experience on the MVT lately is that Ebike riders are riding MORE politely than human powered riders – though I think I am really thinking of the subset of human powered riders who are males of a certain age, riding road bikes. (I love my very polite friends with road bikes, but for this comparison it doesn’t really make sense to include CaBi riders and newbie hybrid riders, now does it?) In particular I think there is one particular ebike rider who makes it a very deliberate point of calling his passes and passing with a lot of room, almost as if he were conscious of the optics issue. And guess what, he has convinced me.

I may be that guy. MVT to and from Alexandria every day till this recent rainstorm knocked out the display of my ebike. I’m very aware that MUPs were not built with ebikes in mind and try hard not to be an ass when I use them on my daily commute.

@buschwacker 182637 wrote:

I may be that guy. MVT to and from Alexandria every day till this recent rainstorm knocked out the display of my ebike. I’m very aware that MUPs were not built with ebikes in mind and try hard not to be an ass when I use them on my daily commute.

Could be – I am the rider of the blue hybrid, with the badly in need of replacement (yeah, I know, when I get a round to it) orange backpack.

@lordofthemark 182638 wrote:

I have in the past been sympathetic to that line of thinking (which as I have said is particularly important on the most crowded trails like the MVT from 4MRT to the 14th street bridge, and I guess the CCT) But lately between my interactions with motorists and my interactions with Nimbys opposing bike infra, I just want the critical mass however I can get it – ebikes riding partly in MUTs, runners in the less used bike lanes, escooters absolutely everywhere – bring it on. Bring it on. (and my growing annoyance with some seriously bad behavior by the more fredly riders of “acoustic” bikes adds to my sympathy fo the ebike riders)

I think you’re on to something with the critical mass theory. I would not otherwise own a bike if not for my commuting needs, and for those purposes the ebike is ideal. I enjoy riding and even when it would be quicker or easier to take Metro etc., I still ride the bike because it’s just an enjoyable experience to get some exercise in the open air.

But I’ve noticed that as a consequence, I am much more keenly aware of bikes, pedestrians, and other non-car vehicles on the road and of insufficient bicycle infrastructure. I’ve also realized how slow cars are in urban areas which I think has made me a more considerate driver and a proponent of spending taxes on bike and other non-car infrastructure. But I probably would not have gotten the ebike if I couldn’t use MUPs as part of my commute, so banning all vehicles with motors from MUPs sounds like a good way to alienate potential allies.

What’s wrong with speed limits?

Everyone, it’s ok. By the time all the Class 3, 27mph cyclists with questionable bike handling skills go from being a nuisance to outright dangerous on the no-motorized-vehicles-allowed-MVT, the South Pentagon/Boundary Channel MVT connector will be in place, and my commute will be almost entirely on surface streets, where it will be safer. Y’all can duke it out with the shrunken motorcycles on an 8 foot wide MUP.

Thanks, critical mass!!!