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Not really the focus in this article, but the speeds that ebikes can hit now have significantly shrunk the time cost of riding versus driving. Which is such an important development for the cities designed and built after the mass rollout of cars.
the speeds that ebikes can hit now
They're legally capped at 25 km/h, even if the technology exists to make them faster than that. It's a big speed boost up hill, but makes no difference down hill and it's roughly equal (or even a negative for strong cyclists) on the flat.
I don't think speed is really the right thing to look at when talking about the advantage of ebikes. Instead, it's the ability to travel with less physical effort, especially when going on hilly routes or carrying larger loads.
(And as a minor side note, I really wish we used the 20 mph speed cap used in places that still use mediaeval measurements. 32 km/h is still a very safe speed, but would be noticeably faster.)
Imagine we had the infrastructure to let people get around at 45km/h on a cargo bike
Personally I think 45 km/h is an excessive and potentially unsafe speed.
Yes, as a motorcyclist I’m always aghast at the speed cyclists can attain in relation to the protective clothing they don’t wear. I can understand why it’s not practical to wear abrasion-resistant clothing and a full-face helmet, but still.
Yeah, context always matters. Physical effort required and distance are just as important as speed.
Its a bit hilly where i live, and people are often disabling those limiters around here. I like your 20mph side note, makes ebikes that much more attractive, plus might stop some people disabling the limiters.
Yeah with a 25 km/h limit, I would probably be looking into how to disable the limiter. If the limit was 32 km/h that would be much less likely.
But it's only hypothetical for me, as I've never owned an ebike.
Quite a lot, actually….
Pollies have a hard on for the petrochemical economy.