[SolarBikeCar]

@KLizotte 127806 wrote:

SolarBikeCar,

Assuming you drive safely, you haven’t addressed the real concern that your vehicle’s weight is a real danger to others on the trail in the case of an accident.

A horse weighs 1000#s, and is 5 ft or taller and can gallop at 30 mph. What is your opinion about the safety of horses on the W&OD?

[SolarBikeCar]

@mstone 127812 wrote:

I’m right handed and use my phone with my left all the time. I don’t quite get why this would be considered impossible.

I’m too old to text let alone do it one handed with the non-dominant hand while pedaling. You young whippersnappers are so talented!

[SolarBikeCar]

@Raymo853 127798 wrote:

No you have not, your average and max speeds listed on your webpage, exceeds what is safe on the WO&D in many places.

What is the consensus safe speed limit? I go speeds where I pass leisure riders and get passed by MAMIL. I do have an slight speed advantage going uphill compared to conventional cyclists but have a disadvantage on the downhills and in stop and go traffic.

[SolarBikeCar]

If there were traffic jams on the W&OD because of ELF drivers than there would be incentives to widen the path or to upgrade the berm along Route 7 so there were safer bicycling options all around. Too many ELFs will be good for increasing the infrastructure for all bicyclists.

I have suggested that the ELF manufactures scale the vehicle down for a “sports” model. Making it half the weight and a foot narrower and reducing the height by 16″ would still accomplish the mission and make it seem more like a compact pickup than a hummer.

Innovation needs time and experience so a little patience from some of the detractors instead of vigilantism is appreciated.

[SolarBikeCar]

@KLizotte 127792 wrote:

SolarBikeCar,

Why don’t you just ride a regular, pedal powered bike? Vienna-Reston isn’t that far after all. You would get plenty of exercise, pose less of a safety risk to all of the other trail users, and avoid this whole controversy.

I simply cannot pedal 34 miles a day on a regular bicycle.

I ride over half my commute on the streets with speed limits of 35 or less. Cars don’t like bicyclists on the road either. With the Elf I can ride the road portion safely especially in bad weather. I’d prefer to ride the entire distance on roads since it would be shorter if only the neighborhoods had connecting streets. Instead there are cul de sacs or closed streets to prevent cut through.

I dispute that I am a safety risk to other users of the trail. I have debunked the outrageous speed claims (I’m slower than serious regular bicyclists.) My width is less than a bike lane and many others take up more than a bike lane and we safely coexists. No one is proposing to ban behavior of those other users who take up more than 5 ft of lane width so the argument is pretty weak that an elf is a safety problem on the W&OD.

[SolarBikeCar]

A discussion of how to separate different modes of transportation is a worthwhile one. There are several inaccuracies in this thread that I’d like to correct so the discussion is based on facts.

The ELF is designed to operate at speeds under 20mph on the level without pedal power. It can exceed that speed with rigorous pedaling downhill but cannot exceed 25 with any motor power because as the motor exceeds 25mph it switches from producing power to acting as a brake. I have tweaked the gearing slightly to increase my ability to add more pedal power which increases the top cruising speed without changing the vehicle’s legal definition of an electric-assist bicycle. The law limits the performance of an electric assist bicycle without any pedal input but is silent regarding pedal input because then it would be limiting regular bicycle speeds too.

I have a cycle analyst and a smart-phone app which I use for navigation. When stopped I review information on both screens. It is physically impossible to text and cycle, however, since applying power requires at least the right hand to be on the handlebars. The report of an ELF driver texting and driving is very likely fiction to support a meme.

Should there be width limits is a good topic to discuss. The elf fits one lane of the trail nicely for the section I use but I have learned I need to exercise caution around these activities:

1) Cyclists who pass traffic going in both directions by slicing down the yellow line. When I see cyclists approaching who might be tempted to pass I pull over so that one wheel is on the adjacent unpaved path to provide half of my lane for aggressive passing.
2) Cyclists who bunch up into a group that is two or three across and meandering slowly across both lanes.
3) Pedestrians who walk three abreast with dogs and take up both lanes.
4) Inline skaters who go really fast down the center line.
5) Race walkers who walk down the center of the trail with arms flailing back and forth.
6) Cyclists who draft inches from my rear tire for miles and won’t pass when given the opportunity. Tailgating to reduce wind resistance and then complaining that one can’t see around an ELF is bogus.

I’ve commuted 2500 miles over the past 6 months without incident or accident and want to continue to develop habits that preserve that safety record. If you have suggestions I’ll listen. I note that the trail is deserted when I bike on days that are cold or rainy so I am adding usage to the trail when others can’t because of weather. Even on perfect weather days the trail is far from capacity in the Vienna to Reston section.

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