In the California town of Pacific Grove the city council voted to set a speed limit on the bike path for e-bike of 12 mph. Not much thought if any went into this decision. Even on regular bikes riders routinely are going faster than 12 mph. The problem is that pedestrians are not conditioned to be watchful for people on bicycles. Leaving a house or office building one first is out on a sidewalk where there are only pedestrians. It is when leaving the curb and going out on a street that people think (sometimes) that they should look both way for an approaching bike or car.
Pedestrians on a bike path will walk out in front of a bicyclist without watching and provide little or no opportunity for the bicyclist to avoid contact. I see people with dogs off lead or with a long leash that blocks the bike path and they nearly always get upset when I tell them to manage their dog(s). Groups of women will walk along the bike path chatting and be 3 or 4 abreast and completely block the bike path for everyone else.
The problem is that pedestrians on bike paths are going to create problems for bicyclists and whether the bicyclist is traveling at 10 mph or 15 mph makes no difference. But the city council folk are reluctant to upset the pedestrians and dog walkers and parent with a baby stroller and perceive bicyclists as an outlaw minority. This perspective has not changed over the past 70 years with our addiction to cars.
No e-bike being sold by a bike shop has a speed of greater than 18 mph and even these bikes depend on the cyclist pedaling fast as the motor only provides pedal assist. There are electric motorcycles that weigh 70 lbs or more and have 4" wide tires and can operate with no need to pedal. I have yet to see anyone actually using such a motorized vehicle on the streets.
Lots of statements with assumptions that have nothing to do with the reality of the situation. I have been dealing with anti-bicyclist sentiment for more than 60 years and this is one thing that has yet to change. Having worked with city councils and board of supervisors members since my college days I soon came to realize that people were elected who received the most money from donors and not the best and the brightest candidates - in fact far from it.