Originally Posted by
burnthesheep
The absolute answer: gears and manual input
The long answer: no electric assist bicycle should be allowed on a multi-use trail or on a trail or cycle path with manual bikes. E-bikes however should be protected by bike lanes on the roads the same as bicycles and think their adoption would be a huge help in traffic and pollution. In Europe, the e-bike is largely a tool to commute to and from work. In the US, it is largely a toy, as not many cycle to work.
That sums it up nicely for me.
I'm not sure why you would define one bike lane as being OK for e-bikes, and another one not being OK, although the California definitions above specify which paths are appropriate for which speeds/power.
An E-Bike travelling at 15 MPH is likely not more or less dangerous than a bicycle travelling at 15 MPH.
As I mentioned, we need real safety data to drive the legislation.
The reason that E-Bikes use Bicycle infrastructure is that the danger that cars pose to the E-Bikes is greater than the danger that the E-Bikes pose to cyclists, joggers, and pedestrians, at least in theory.
I'm all for moving them off of roadways designed for 50+ MPH travel and onto paths designed for 10 to 20 MPH travel whenever possible and practical.