[Dewey]

WABA is inviting members to take a survey on e-scooters. This is what I typed in the comments section:

Please contact Jeff Marootian (DDOT), the Arlington County Board, and the National Park Service to get DC and neighboring jurisdictions to revise 18 DCMR §§ 1201.18, NPS trail rules in the Capital region, and Arlington County Code § 14.2-64.1 to permit Class 1 and 2 ebikes and electric scooters to legally use the Potomac bridge sidewalk paths. Please ask DC to revise the 2015 Motor Vehicle Collision Recovery Act to give riders of Class 1 and 2 ebikes and electric scooters the same protection from drivers that pedal cyclists and segway riders now have. It is inequitable I have to break a city regulation, NPS regs, and the Arlington County Code, just to safely cross the river to commute to work on a Class 1 or 2 ebike or electric scooter, and then be exposed to legal tort jeopardy riding the streets with cars.

With Maryland considering HB 939/SB 935 to legalize Class 1 and 2 ebikes on trails by October 2019, with Capital Bikeshare talking about expanding its ebike fleet to 600 bikes this year, and with NOVA Parks changing their regulation to permit ebikes on the W&OD trail, it is time the region coordinated efforts to legalize Class 1 and 2 ebikes and electric scooters on bike trails and multi use paths, particularly the river crossings and sections of paths on either side that connect to street bicycle infrastructure. The unintended consequences of failure to take action include continuing to expose ebike and scooter commuters to legal tort jeopardy in auto collisions, and invalidating riders liability insurance in collisions with pedestrians on paths. This is wrong, please use my WABA subscription fees to pursue equitable treatment for Class 1 and 2 ebike and electric scooter riders. Thank you.

[Dewey]

Yes, I would have been interested in trying a hand cycle after breaking my leg, a bike lending library seems a good idea. If this program is a success perhaps in future they might also consider adding cargo bikes for carrying children?

[Dewey]

Jeff Marootian, DDOT Director addressed the DC Council Committee on Transportation and the Environment on 2/25 and among other items reported “We also introduced an electric bike pilot deploying 80 e-bikes across the system this year. We have had positive feedback on this pilot and are preparing to announce a significant expansion in the coming months.” Source: https://ddot.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ddot/release_content/attachments/DDOT%20Oversight%20Hearing%202019%20Testimony_2_22_FINAL.pdf

[Dewey]

I called Bikes@Vienna and Tim said they have a Tern GSD available for a test ride. They’re close to the W&OD Trail, and next door to an award winning British pasty hand pie shop

[Dewey]

Wyoming legislature approves 3-class ebike law, signed by governor Gordon becoming the 12th state to do so.

Maryland has introduced ebike legislation this year: HB 939 (sponsor delegate Cassilly (R) Cecil & Harford Counties) and SB 935 (sponsor senator Waldstreicher (D) Montgomery County) with a potential effective date of October 1, 2019, would enact the 3-class system, raise the power limit from 500w to 750w in line with the other states, and permit Class 1 and 2 ebikes everywhere a bicycle may ride, Class 3 ebikes would be prohibited from bike paths unless on or adjacent to a highway. The proposed law would permit localities to prohibit Class 1 and 2 ebikes from bike paths, unclear how/if that changes anything on bike paths already signposted ‘no motorized vehicles’.

[Dewey]

@dasgeh 187311 wrote:

why not treat class 2s like class 1s? They have the same speed limitations as class 1, the only difference is the throttle. Throttles are super important for those carrying heavy loads (aka parents) and people with disabilities (who can’t always pedal or have a hard time balancing to start). I don’t know of anywhere in the U.S. that treats class 1s differently than class 2s.

This morning on my walk to Metro a Dad on a RadCity (a Class 2 ebike) with a child seat on the rear rack pulled up in front of me. The intersection had cars blocking his view on both sides so he used his throttle to slowly move forward to look both ways to get a better view without having to worry about losing his balance with the weight of his son on the back (toddlers move around shifting weight), then when the way was clear he used the throttle to complete his left turn and they were on their way with Dad pedalling. That’s how I use the throttle on my Class 2 ebike when I tow my daughter in the trailer. For low speed manouvering a throttle is very helpful for cargo bikes, towing a trailer, people with knee or balance issues, filtering past stationary traffic to avoid a pedal strike against kerb stones, and hill starts on a heavier ebike when facing uphill. Ebike brand owner Tora Harris listed other use cases for a low speed throttle here on another forum. Personally I’d accept if trail managers decided to impose a low speed requirement on Class 2 throttles as in Europe where I think the cut off is 6kmh/4mph, because this can be easily programmed into an ebike controller and it’s at low speed where throttle assistance is most needed.

[Dewey]

Consumer Reports publishes national crash data on scooter injuries for the period fall 2017-July 2018
https://www.consumerreports.org/product-safety/national-crash-data-from-e-scooter-ride-share-companies-revealed-for-first-time/

[Dewey]

Nova Parks posted the presentation slides delivered at the Feb 7 hearing. The comment period is open to March 11 and a decision is set to be made by the Board sometime Spring 2019.

[Dewey]

WTF Arlington?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYed96KcX5A&feature=youtu.be

Saying both scooter and E-bike riders “obey the rules of the road” if they ride in the streets “because they are considered Motorized Vehicles” implies they are motor vehicles that do not belong on sidewalks.

The Code of Virginia says “any device herein defined as a bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, or moped shall be deemed not to be a motor vehicle.” The site the video points to has a chart correctly noting that e-bikes are allowed on sidewalks but why couldn’t the County simply wait until it is determined whether they need to change their pilot rules and County Code to comply with HB 2752 which if voted into law would change Virginia law to include motorized skateboard or scooter among vehicles “deemed not to be a motor vehicle”?

[Dewey]

ArlNow is reporting that Jump and Spin are looking to expand operations to Arlington County, Spin for scooters and Jump for scooters and dockless ebikeshare. The article mentions three companies Bird, Lime, and Lyft already operate scooters in Arlington. Source: https://www.arlnow.com/2019/02/06/two-more-companies-will-soon-offer-dockless-scooters-e-bikes-in-arlington/

[Dewey]

@Dewey 180913 wrote:

Broke my leg

Back in the saddle (thank you Physical Therapy)! Am going to try a pedal bike for a change (thank you Papillon), NBD almost turned into NPD ‘No Pants Day’ as I forgot to pack my work trousers so today at work I’m wearing the 4ucycling winter pants that arrived at the weekend (thanks Amazon!).

[Dewey]

@Dewey 180913 wrote:

Broke my leg
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18353[/ATTACH]

Back in the saddle (thank you Physical Therapy)! Am going to try a pedal bike for a change (thank you Papillon for swapping in my favorite saddle/grips/pedals), you might see me pushing my bike up hill from Rosslyn after work if my knee starts acting up.

NBD almost turned into NPD ‘No Pants Day’ as I forgot to pack my work trousers so today at work I’m wearing the 4ucycling winter pants that arrived at the weekend (thanks Amazon!).

[Dewey]

Thanks!

[Dewey]

The Virginia Bicycling Federation reported e-scooters were discussed yesterday in the Virginia General Assembly, House Transportation Committee. HB2752 “with lobbyists representing both Bird & Lime speaking in favor and law enforcement and other officials from Arlington, Alexandria, & Charlottesvile asking for the bill to be tabled until their in-progress Pilot Projects are completed and digested. Despite those requests, the bill was reported on to the full Trans Comm by a 7-3 vote, and the prevailing discussion seemed to be that the scooters would be permitted only on bike lanes, trails and sidewalks, and that all jurisdictions would have the authority to pass ordinances banning them from their sidewalks , if they chose to do so, which must have been the part that the Bird rep was unhappy with.

When we had a chance to look the language over after the meeting, it appears that the scooters will also be permitted on the highway, but not capable of moving at more than 20 mph. There seem to be enough unresolved questions here, and it was obvious that the Bird representative did not get what he wanted, so these questions will be discussed and clarified at the next steps in the process, and we will be anxious to see that they don’t result in any restrictions that spill over to the bicyclists.”(*)

(*) my comment…or to e-bikes which are currently permitted to ride on sidewalks in Virginia.

[Dewey]

@secstate 186268 wrote:

(especially down) Virginia Ave. Usually when going back toward the CCT in the evening, I cross to the south sidewalk around the gas station and then use the pedestrian crossing. I think that’s the best way, since that intersection has its quirks.

I work at GW and as I’m thinking about getting back in the saddle I’d like to try a different route home taking Virginia Ave to the Rock Creek trail then the new PBL along K/Water Streets under the Whitehurst Freeway, up and over the C&O up to Key Bridge. I haven’t ridden down Virginia Avenue in rush hour, so I’m curious when you cross Virginia Ave near the gas station do you use the Crosswalk at 27th & Virginia? Google maps doesn’t show any pedestrian signal button, do the lights change fairly frequently? Cheers!

[Author]

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