Just heard something that concerns me . . .
Before it's mentioned, I do ride MUPs, not exclusively, but a lot. For a lot of the area it's the only 'safe' car free place to ride for long distances. I'm not here to argue the validity of MUPs vs roads. We are also seeing increased patrolling of the Razorback Greenway (RBG), cops on bikes and on 4 wheelers. I like this because it tends to make it feel like a safer environment. So there IS some enforcement presence.
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A while back I posted about a guy I ride with saying I was 'cheating' by riding an ebike. He has since stopped chapping my a$$ about it, or so I thought.
He said that he heard on the news that there was a 'growing movement' to get all ebikes banned from the Razorback Greenway in NW Arkansas - where we live. ALL ebikes, no distinction at all between types. We chatted about it and I again reminded him of the different classes, and class 1 (what I ride) was just another bike, but with assist that ONLY helped when pedaling. Now, dismissing the fact that he is probably just trying to goad me into another argument, has anyone else heard such a thing? For the RBG or anywhere else? Were they successfully at banning them?
I can can see perhaps banning class 2 or 3 for speed concerns and because the offer a true throttle only assist (or an alternate of with PAS). They could be of concern considering the nearly 30 mph speed (or more) they can attain in the USA. At issue is how do you enforce a 'class only' ban? How does an officer determine what is what other than taking the riders word for it? Especially for home made conversions.
I can also see we may be heading for trouble with increased motor wattage, battery voltages and WH ratings as well as dropping prices. Like anything in America 'too much is not enough' of anything. Will this trend toward ebike hot rods cause a nationwide concern and possible ban? If these riders insist on using the MUPs it may very well lead to a ban on them.
Anyone know of anything brewing?
Last edited by Rootman; 10-18-18 at 09:52 AM.