Thursday, November 9, 2017

Best Business In Town




Electric bikes are a great invention, but also a great... headache. They cause "headaches" to many factors: pedestrians, car drivers, police, municipalities, ministry of transport, parents.

The fact that no driving license is required, and there are no fuel/ parking/ maintenance/storage  expenses, has made the battery-powered bike a very sought after vehicle both by adults and youngsters. Moreover, e-bikes come in light, compact and folding models and that makes them very appealing to people of all ages.The nice weather all year round also contributes to their popularity.


e-bike plus the battery (under seat post)

According to the law, e-bike riders should use  the off road only (bicycle paths and trails) . In reality, there's no one to enforce neither this law requirement, nor the law requirement that the e-bike rider be at least 16 years of age and wear a helmet. 

no helmet



The e-bike riders invade both the roads and the sidewalks,   On certain wide pavements there are bike lanes intended   for non-electrical cycles , but in reality these lanes too are 'flooded' with electrical ones, and so far, the police does nothing about it. 

sidewalk with pedestrian lane and cycle (non electric) lane

I live in a rather densely populated area, and I'm worried; first of all as a pedestrian. The e-bikes are very silent; one doesn't even hear them approaching you from the back, and their bell is not always operated. Secondly, I own a trike (a three wheel cycle - never learnt to ride a proper bicycle) for recreational purposes, but I seldom use it because of the jungle caused by the e-bikers in my area.


Nowadays, teenagers are seen either on  e-bikes or waiting for the bus/ car. They scarcely use a regular pedal bike or go on foot any more (no wonder excess weight has reached high proportion in these kids; gym workout at a later stage would not repair the damage).

Anyway, there are a lot of casualties among  e-bikers riding on the road along with car drivers, and among pedestrians knocked down by the e-bikers riding on the pavement. 

Sad situation. All parties involved  promise to solve problems (by imposing heavy fines, Import restrictions ,increasing informational publicity etc..) but in reality do nothing of the kind. In the meantime, the e- bike importers and bike shop owners make a lot of money. Electric bike shops pop up at every corner like mushrooms after rain. Apparently, the best business in town!

30 comments:

  1. the only economical or echo friendly bike is human powered. Just like electric cars the e bikes have batteries that must be charged using energy needed for other daily requirement and some day they will need to be replaced and then we have to find a way to safely discard the used batteries. All of the people who use them are not aware of the slave labor being committed in order for them to be echo friendly. I recently read an article which horrified me about the practice. But it is the Southern Americans who own slaves over a hundred years ago who make the news and are the worse people.You must remember Greed trumps common sense. Also people are toooo lazy to pedal. Peace

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    1. I agree with your view about the "human powered" bike. And you're right; batteries have to be charged and then after a while, discaded etc... etc.. A lot of work. However, if you look around you, our whole life is on batteries of some kind (i-phone, i-pad,laptop, tablet).We are slaves to these gadgets. Good or bad, that's our daily reality.

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    2. I agree with you and Lady Di Tn!!
      Love the eco-echo friendly regular old pedal bicycle♡

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    3. Pedaling is good for the body. The e-bike has pedals too, but the bikers prefer to use the electric assistance.

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  2. Wow, Ebikes are not nearly as popular here. I think I have only seen a couple of them. I didn't realize the hassles they cause but regular cyclists here cause almost the same issues as they ride far too fast for people to get out of the way.

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    1. I suppose in a colder country than Israel the e-bike wouldn't become so popular. Where there's a lot of rain and wind, people need the roof of the car to protect them from the elements.

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  3. Wow I am really out of touch, I didn’t know there was ebikes! I see your concerns, very real problem that can easily get out of control.

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    1. Well, now you know.The e-bike has become, during the last years, a very trendy, popular vehicle in our parts(speed 25-30 kmh). There are endless discussions on the problems it causes, but here it is - very dominant on our local traffic scene.

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  4. Sounds unsafe. I get very nervous driving behind regular bikers where I live with all the mountains and fast highways. I hope some laws get enforced so you can ride your trike.

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    1. 'unsafe' is the proper word. But everyone has interests, so no great hope about law enforcement Perhaps more bike trails could bring about some change in the right direction.

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  5. Oy vey! Pardon my Yiddish, but I can imagine the headaches and how it must be to have all those e-bikes like mushrooms!! Somehow whenever the `e` takes over in front of a word, it seems to bring things out of the natural balance. I am an old-fashioned regular old bicycle rider. Hope that you can find shalom on your streets and that the lanes and laws will be enforced or that the riders themselves will just get it that we all need to be considerate of each other on the city streets!!

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    1. Oy Vey - you may say that again. I think parents could do a lot about the e-bike issues, but it seems they themselves serve as a bad example.

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  6. As with new devices, there is no culture or traditions they follow, but wander willy nilly over pedestrian rights. Such a shame.

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    1. Right. No tradition, but there are rules, laws (which sadly nobody follows them). Such a shame, indeed.

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  7. I can understand your concerns, Duta, and while e-bikes are not popular in the city where I now live, I have seen many traditional bikers in larger cities like NYC and Boston. Many of these cyclists are polite and obey regular traffic rules, but sadly many make their own rules of the road. Our personal preference is for old fashioned pedal bikes and I am far too nervous to ride anywhere other than a bike trail...no city bike lanes for me.

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    1. Good for you to be able to ride a pedal bike! Pedaling is such a good workout! A bike trail, is the optimal place for riding a bike.

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  8. I can understand your concern with the electric bikes, Duta. Even regular bicycle riders scare me on the road. I'm so cautious when I see them. I didn't realize there were many people riding these electric bikes in your area. It sounds like a booming business.

    ~Sheri

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    1. Even regular bikes are , indeed, a problem to pedestrians and car drivers. Law enforcement is vital here- bikes on bike trails only.

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  9. First of all, it seems like there should be helmet laws. None here for motorcycles or any bikes. And it seems to me, that e-bikes would be a good thing for seniors, pedal some, and use the motor as needed. And it would be great for someone with physical issues of the leg, knees, etc.
    What drives me nuts is the groups of 10-20 bike riders here on the roads that make it very difficult for cars to get by them in the summer. They're rude and act like they own the road. They need to ride on the many bike trails here, and there are many trails!
    There aren't many of the bikes out here in the suburbs, but more in Chicago. Our long season of winter weather means very few bikes, if any, are on the road.
    Hope the situation gets better by you, Duta!

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    1. There's helmet requirement in the law but few obide the rules.
      Indeed, e-bikes would be a good thing for seniors or people with disabilities, in fact for all people, but.. on bike trails.
      I suppose there are not enough bike trails, just as there are never enough lanes, roads, parking lots.

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  10. It seemed like such a good idea at first! Here in Australia they are causing the same problems in our city areas. I read recently of dozens and dozens of them having to be hauled out of rivers too.
    The fact that you can't hear them coming too is scary for all age groups.
    So I can appreciate the point of your post.
    Cheers to you Duta :D)

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    1. The weather plays an important part in the popularity of the e-bikes. Australia, like Israel has nice weather all year round, and that, I suppose, makes the e-bike, among other things, a favorite vehicle.

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  11. I have not seen any e-bikes here, perhaps because French people do like their racing bikes. The Tour de France bike race is very popular here.
    I saw a three wheeled bike the other day, and I quite fancied having a go on one, mainly because it looks big enough to get a good sized shopping basket on it.

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    1. I think it's the climate of a place that determines the popularity of the e-bikes in that particular place.In israel or Australia the weather is mild, but in Europe and North America, one needs the protection of a car roof most of the time, as it's rather cold outside.

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  12. Hi Duta, this subject is talked about a lot here. They have Bike club's. For the first time living here since 2000, I heard a noise so loud and frightening my dog and I were scared out of our wits. It was 30 bikes roaring past my home. Sounded like the end of the world. They should stay on the super highways not neighborhoods. The Helmets are another thing I hate the German helmets Well
    that about it, getting cold in Maine. Be safe, be well, be Happy. yvonne.

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    1. The helmet is a Must. I'm terrified when I see bikers without a helmet. The helmet could save life. Recently I've seen a teenager falling off his bike. I got frantic. After making sure he was ok I started shouting at him: Where's your helmet, where are your parents, how dare you go riding without a helmet?

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  13. I too had never heard of e-bikes! I've not seen any around here. But we are a car state. It used to be that each home had one or two cars parked in the driveway for mom and dad, now every single kids has a car from the age of 16! And since grown kids are moving back in with their parents you can have 5 or 6 cars parked outside, it's ridiculous. In a residential neighborhood you can't even see the homes anymore.

    But I digress and that has nothing to do with e-bikes, just my own pet peeve. I can see how it would be frustrating DUTA. I hope that it can be worked out and that all the parties involved really do work towards a solution. Good luck!

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    1. Hi Alicia,
      If you can ride a bicycle, you might find out the electric ones do have some interesting benefits. Anyway, they're very popular here.

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  14. E Bikes & E Vehicles are the talk of the town in India too. I am a e bike distributor in Coimbatore for the past 8 years. E Bikes have not really become popular in India as people still prefer faster long range gasoline powered vehicles.With Government support and subsidies, India is set to take off in a big way and by 2030 nearly 30% of all vehicles will be EV's.
    When I say E Bikes these are not cycles but scooters and do not invade walking space. They run on the road only.No License or Registration or age limit.
    With Oil gas & petroleum contributing to massive pollution world over ( from automobiles,industries,construction equipment etc)the environment is fast becoming more and more toxic and unlivable. In cities like New Delhi pollution levels are so high that many people move around with masks all the time.
    Whether E Vehicles are the answer to the worlds rising pollution is anyone's guess.
    Incidentally in which city/country do you live ?

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    1. Car drivers here are hostile to any sort of electric vehicle on the road that doesn't require driving licence and taxes. No age limit, you say?!! The minimum age in our parts is 16, but in reality nobody checks age, and kids much younger than 16 ride the e-bikes and e-scooters.
      Anyway, the gov. project in India might indeed do wonders about air pollution.

      (I live in the central part of Israel, in a suburb city near Tel-Aviv ).

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