Navigating The E-bike Boom With America's Outdated Infrastructure
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- Опубликовано: 26 июн 2024
- E-bikes are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. and are even outpacing the electric and hybrid car sales. However, they're also more dangerous than traditional bicycles. While some blame e-bikes' speed for the increase in injuries, others blame America's car-centric infrastructure.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
2:05 Chapter 1
4:24 Chapter 2
7:50 Chapter 3
Produced by: Liam Mays
Edited by: Liam Mays
Camera: Liam Mays, Katie Brigham
Supervising producer: Jeniece Pettitt
Graphics: Mallory Brangan
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Navigating The E-bike Boom With America's Outdated Infrastructure
Ebikes are awesome, and we need more of them. But honestly, it's comical how much time, energy, and money is spent pearl-clutching and panicking over ebikes, when over 40,000 Americans are killed by cars every year, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of people left with life-altering injuries, also due to cars.
Ebikes can and should be speed-limited and regulated, but we should be putting about a hundred times as much effort into speed limiting cars.
Electronically limiting car speeds within cities could literally be the most beneficial public safety measure of the 21st century. It needs to happen as soon as possible.
Hi 👋
No speed regulations for bicycles please unless they are speed limited to 80+ km/hr
Glad to see you here, NJB. Been watching your content for a while and live car free (mostly by choice) but need to get around in Fake London. Winters are going to be more difficult, you know how they maintain the roads here I'm sure. The thick wheeled e-bikes may be better...
Also, I saw someone around here with one of those wooden "barrow" style ebikes you showed a few months ago, signs of hope!
Anyways have a happy new year
There has been some talk in EU or in Sweden at least to put out a geofence system to speedlimit cars so they can't drive faster than they should depending on where you are even on highways. In cities and other tightly populated areas should have system like this implemented.
Completely agree. E-bikes injuries and fatalities aren't even a drop in the bucket compared with those caused by vehicles. Thanks for providing some balance in this video.
this video is largely against ebikes. Compared to driving a car the chance of injury is singnificantly less than that of getting injured in a car. They asked for the perspective of the doctor about e-bike injuries but failed to ask him his views on cars, which cause many more fatalities.
Right in EU in the beginning many ebike riders were elder senior people (with insufficient strength to pedal a regular bike). Naturally they have less riding skills and get more severe accidents.
Also some studies point out that the no1 largest risk to your health is to continue driving a car and get zero exercise :)
If comparing distance travelled going by bike is far more dangerous than going by car.
@@SweBeach2023 but why would you do that? The only thing cars are really good for is covering long distances quickly, per capita and per time spent is IMO much more representative
Cars cause more fatalities but there are so many more of them, besides that though having recently moved somewhere that E Bikes are super popular I am starting to become super against them. Seeing some guy barreling down a running/biking path at 30 mph is incredibly infuriating.
@@jacobd1432 We have 17M people, 8.8M cars and 23M bicycles in our country. Now you could claim with 207 bicycle deaths and only 175 car deaths (2021) the car is safer but that would be a very limited view if you don't look how these 207 people on bicycles where killed and why... i could make the argument that smartphones kills most since distracted or drunk/drugs people hitting others while driving a car.
Never had a car and always relied on buses, but that commute took 50 min. This year I got myself a pedal assist ebike and it takes me 23 min (4.7 miles), it's fun, and still an exercise going over hills. I was initially terrified of biking on the road, but it seems like many drivers in my area also bike, so they're respectful and aware of people on bikes.
Did you count the shower time? Or you let you co-worker smell your sweets?
I have a fat tire ebikes and I love it .
I still actually ride my peddle too lol
If it's poring rain I take the ebikes and I don't gat as wet . It's just so much faster
@@anubizz3 this guy is really coming after every comment. man you're too invested in this discussion. go take a shower yourself, maybe go outside
@@anubizz3 The main advantage of ebikes over bikes is that you don't have to work that much meaning you wont really be sweaty.
@@anubizz3
The trick is not to sweat. Just cycle at leisure.
In the small city where I live, there's been an effort to accommodate more bicycle traffic on many streets. But a simple white line painted toward the right side of the street to indicate a bike lane is not nearly enough protection for a bicyclist to feel safe from auto traffic.
My city painted lines everywhere to compete with the city across the river that built super highways of bike and running paths. Only a fool would ride a bike in Moline Illinois. The cops themselves have hit children on bikes in the street and wrote my aged father-in-law a ticket for crossing the street on his bike. He was in contempt of court while he was in intensive care recovering. Do what you want. The city next to me doesnt even have sidewalks in many of the neighborhoods. A city designed and built by monsters.
Maybe walking is good for now I think cities are to undefined until we get rid of those one story houses on the outside of cities, get self driving cars, and putting those houses in a suburb.
Out were I live people park cars in the bike lanes. Luckily, my delfast has a few tricks.
The only thing that can rally keep people safe is harder driving tests and harsher penalties for breaking laws.
@@joepopplewell680 the only thing that could keep the US safe from terrorists is a 10 trillion dollar war. I've been biking for 5 years and millions do, you rarely ever hear about someone getting killed down the road. It's a big myth.
*Cars killing 1000s a year*
Local Governments: We need to regulate ebike! That'll solve the problem.
That's a bit of a straw man argument. Everything naturally requires regulation. Why shouldn't ebikes be regulated to be safe like anything else?
@@skycloud4802 it already is, 28mph cap (with pedaling) which makes sense considering how less dense american cities are, on average, compared to european
@@skycloud4802 eBikes are already regulated. Generally you can only have up to a 750W motor and a top speed of 20 mph. Going beyond that is classified as a Moped and requires a license.
Firearm violence took the lives of around 40,000 citizens and children every year, so the government has to replace them with around 55,000 legal immigrants under DV Lottery program annually
@@skycloud4802 the lack of bike infrastructure is the problem, not the bikes themselves
Minimum Viable Network I love that term.... MVN...People think of building random bike lanes. Instead we need to build organized networks of bike lanes so that they are actually useful to regular people beyond "exercise" and "recreation".
I love the Not Just Bikes channel!
Yes build organized networks to meaningful destinations.
Minimum viable living is called poverty
Bike networks need to be for _transportation_ and not just _recreation._
Add to this that many bicycle lanes in North America are severely substandard, placed on roads that practically encourage traffic to sweve into them, use them as extra parking spots, and placing cyclist in door-range. Buidling good bicycle lanes is extremely cheap compared to maintaining car infrastructure, but unless you build good bicycle infrastructure, you won't have cyclists, and will have to keep throwing enormous sums at the overbuilt car infrastructure.
After riding an E-Bike for the past 4 1/2yrs, I would have to say, the biggest danger for us riders is car-drivers not watching where they are going or who is around them. I ride only street and have had some close-calls. Getting "doored" is probably my biggest fear. I only ride street because nothing is set up too well for cyclists here in the U.S. (at least here in the North-East). I love to ride, so I take my chances.
Summed up as lacking modern infrastructure.
Bicycles and 100 ton trucks shouldn't be moving within 3 feet of each other
@@janeblogs324 I saw a funny clip where they made buss drivers sit on bikes while another buss drove by them at high speed.
A trick I have seen is having a flashing blue light on your helmet it is funny how much people seem to notice flashing blue lights and slow down.
@@lostboy8084 Police do not like if you use blue flashers... I know. If you use them, don't flash. Impersonating an Officer is not a good thing. Use other colors.
In order to try to push for change some people need to take the risks, and I am one of those people. I take my ebike on grocery trips and commutes, and joy rides too and I love it
US and bike lanes: "We are now entering a new, unprecedented era"
Rest of the developed world: "Welcome to the 90s!"
I got an e-bike last year and it’s been the best choice I’ve ever made! I live in a small suburban town with thankfully relatively safe bike infrastructure and I make all my in town trips on my bike and with that I get enjoy my town more, I see my neighbors and connect with them more, I visit stores I’ve never seen before. Additionally I live in a place where it frequently rains and has high winds, with some extra bundling up the weather is almost never a factor that keeps me off my bike.
What kind of ebike?
Aren't they fun? I've had mine for almost 5 years now. I have the radcity stepthru model and I'd definitely buy it again because aside from some annoying chainslap in very icy conditions it's been a great choice. The bike has already paid for itself compared to $3 for a bus ride plus I never end up waiting for a bus anymore. I even bought winter Schwalbe studded tires for it so that makes it a beast in winter! (plus you can't even legally use studs on car tires but you can on bikes here)
You’ll pay the price for riding in dangerous conditions. Slippage is real
no way I would ride one in TX
an electric trike is even better..
I can't wait for there to be less cars.
Our cities really need to be designed better to prioritize biking, walking and transit
ya but biking only makes sense if you never leave the city. We still need cars. If I finish work at 11 pm and it is winter the last thing I want to do is bike home
@@MrMarcodarko that's what good transit is for, if you live in the burbs you can take rail or a bus home.
And if we didn't have so much land dedicated to cars your home would be closer to work and destinations (Some highways, parking and wide roads could be use for housing, parks, retail, ect)
Car brain: less car = I can't drive car
Good brain: less car = less traffic for me
Good point we need to be like thw uk and ditch the traditional car more trains their can still be cars but like alot of trains..we uset to be a train country until cars became popular and ditched the train
Keep dream that will never happen.specially where there is harsh winters or long wet seasonal
1.5 years into replacing our truck with an e-cargo bike, going down to a single car family. Having a blast, saving tons of money, and experiencing real freedom in mobility.
I benefited from Denver’s e-bike rebate program this last summer. It has been a game changer. I’m able to do large grocery runs, replace all car trips throughout the city, and with only minor accessory additions, carry my partner on the back (2 adults on one e-cargo bike).
As others have stated, the biggest impediment to further adoption of e-bikes is lack of infrastructure/mixing with cars (Although I would also argue single-family zoning is a very close second). It baffles me how we can’t even give up half a street out of every 10 for decent, protected bike infrastructure. I aren’t community planning meetings, participate in local advocacy, and even let friends borrow my e-bike to try it out for themselves.
Any city in America could start saving so much money if only they would tweak things to start to accommodate anything besides the automobile and repeal exclusively single-family zoning (I promise I’m not getting off topic. These two issues are complimentary to one another).
The costs of prioritizing cars is truly staggering when you include the infrastructure costs, personal costs, environmental costs, and health impacts (ex. Pollution, isolation, etc).
It’s great that corporate news is seemingly coming around on these issues, but things need to happen much quicker.
Finally, no person advocating for these changes is telling you to completely give up your car, but what they are advocating for is replacing many car trips with different modes. I still have a car and still find reasons to drive from time to time. Don’t let the few required car trips prevent you from supporting cheaper, more sustainable, community-oriented alternatives.
1:08
Directly quoting from your source, CPSC: "Collisions with motor vehicles were the leading cause of death associated with e-bikes, accounting for 27 of the 53 reported deaths"
I would argue these are car accidents and not bike accidents.
And if we plot the 30,000 + fatal car accidents per year on the same chart, the bars for the e-bikes would shrink into the x-axis and be practically invisible.
Also, "Twelve e-bike fatalities were due to user-control issues, such as crashing into other fixed objects ... and getting thrown into oncoming traffic."
Apparently cars were also involved with some or all of these 12 additional accidents?
CNBC and CPSC, are trying so hard to blame e-bikes for a car problem.
Yes, you are right. Again the major problem is a car. They do not even mention how many fatalities are cause by pollution exhausted by cars, that would be about 40 times higher than number of accidents they cause. That just CNBC, but anyway they are moderately optimistic towards e-bikes.
I'm trying to look further into the 80 dutch ebike fatalities, but unfortunately they don't make the distinction in the public data between ebikes and normal bicycles. Of the total 207 bicycle fatalities, 105 were due to a collision with a motor vehicle. 12 by a collision with another bicyclist, and 9 due to a collision with a fixed object. The rest (81) died after a one-sided fall, for example after losing conciousness, slipping on ice, or making a steering mistake. Of those 81, 58 people were 70+ years old. Which is worriying, but at the same time a good indicator that a lot of older people are still comfortable biking somewhere.
So again half are probably car accidents. I also find the term 'user-control issues' quite insidious. It suggests the bicyclist is fully at fault, while the built environment could very much have played a role in that collision. I know I have seen enough images on the internet of various "fixed objects" such as road signs being placed in the middle of a bicycle path, while doing the same on a car road would be seen as attempted murder.
A someone who both bikes and drives often, I'd suggest the blame is probably about 50:50 on average.
Cyclists riding the wrong way down the road are way too common around here. Adding a motor would be deadly for them.
But plenty of car drivers also fail spectacularly. Like driving out in front of huge vehicles then claiming they didn't see it.
No doubt this is anti Bike fear mongering propaganda propped up by the auto industry.
I use my ebike about as much as my car, but I disagree. It's a result of the system as a whole. Lack of infrastructure, lack of understanding, poor safety behavior by cyclists.
Been really enjoying CNBC making these videos recently on infrastructure and transportation. Kudos to giving attention to, in my opinion, a woefully under-reported issue.
yes but they blame the ebikes, this is a problem cars are the problems. Not everyone wants to drive everywhere.
@@koroush100 huh? They didn’t blame e-bikes in this reporting.
They pointed out the need to update current infrastructure to allow for safer biking.
The issue with CNBC is they talk about important things like Infrastructure and transportation and then openly refuse to acknowledge that cars are usually the issue and car lobbying is the main cause of terrible infrastructure in the US
Brought to you ford. Have you driven a ford lately?
@@koroush100 I don't want to take your ebike away from you even though the little slave kids in the Congo, Ghana and Namibia are dying by the thousands to provide you with batteries for them....
So stay away from interfering with me owning a car.
I’m a huge proponent of ebikes and am thankful to live in a relatively bike friendly city in the USA. My ebike has been my primary mode of transport since I got it five years ago, and I’ve loved every mile on it! Also super stoked to see Jason from NJB featured! Would love to have seen more representation from the industry and not just radpower.
Something that wasn’t touched on is that, in the US at least, one can go online and buy whatever ebike that then gets drop-shipped in from China and there’s zero oversight of them. They can be absurdly powerful or fast, have sketchy electronics or batteries and/or have poor quality components and build quality.
My son helped to set up a string of high end bicycle shops in the Deep South. He started off as the mechanic at the first store to become the manager two months later due to his product knowledge and being able to close on sales. He told the owner to ditch ebikes since too many have poorly manufactured parts and batteries that are difficult to obtain. My son replaced those with a few quality 2 stroke engine kits that turn bikes into mopeds since prospective buyers like the idea of transferring the motor to a different bike if they want to ride something different.
@@billwilson3609 there are plenty of reliable, well made ebikes out there, not sure what your son was selling. Bikes from brands such as Riese & Müller, Gazelle, Orbea to name just a few.
Taking a standard bicycle frame and adding an engine to it sounds like a liability nightmare considering that the frame or any of the components weren't designed to be used in such an application.
@@AlasdairSun My son started working there as the mechanic around 9 years ago after graduating college with a degree in culinary arts. He worked on anything with wheels while in school so worked weekends at the shop to do their more complicated repair work. He never mentioned what brand of ebike the owner sold except saying it took forever to get replacement parts or a notice that those were NLA. He was made store manager a year later where he told the owner to stop selling ebikes due to that plus more motor sports shops in the region were selling those. Said they make more money selling and servicing high end road and mountain bikes plus could get more residents and students coming thru the door by offering sales and installation of the small gas engine kits that turn bicycles into mopeds. Those were engineered for use on bicycles with my son adding an additional charge for inspecting and servicing the wheel and steering head bearings along with other stuff to ensure it'll be safe to operate. Those turned out to become popular with the students so sells quite a few of them each year.
Love that alternate methods of transportation and its infrastructure is getting covered. Especially love that one of my favorite channels, Not Just Bikes is getting such mainstream recognition.
I sold my car for an e-bike. It was one of the best decisions ever. Getting around is more enjoyable and cheaper now. Yes, even in cold New England winters!
If the slippery of NE winters makes you use your E-bike less and less. Maybe consider buying an E-trike. Catrike and Terra trike are the American brands. And Azub, HP Velotechnik and ICE come from Europe. All 5 are excellent trike manufacturers. Any trike can be converted in an E-trike, installing a boom engine at the front.
The same. used car prices were nearly matching their original msrp. I paid 20k for my car in 2017 and then sold it in 2022 for 17k. It’s a once in a lifetime kind of happenstance.
@@mardiffv.8775 😢😅😅😅😂😂😂
@@Djfmi Yes, you can laugh about my trikes. But 90 % of my trips I will do on my trikes. I even go on vacation with my E-trike, last summer I cycled to Antwerp, Ghent, Brughes/ Brugge, De Panne, Ypres/ Ieper and back to Antwerp. I experienced West Flanders and I had a great time.
In nyc ebikes arw much faster to travel
I drive, but biking is my main form of transportation locally. It is so much nicer to go grocery shopping by bike than by car, you feel more connected to the community around you
I can't wait till trains become more popular look at europe/uk trains are popular
@@tatsuyaaikawa7185 Watch as some americans make the excuse that the reason why rail doesnt work is because the U.S is big lmao
Come on, riding a bike makes you more connected to the community? Not buying it.
@@BC-yw2tw My my neighbors can see me when I wave at them, the same isn't true if you're driving. There's countless more examples of course, but you wouldn't understand unless you actually go outside.
I agree, but that point sheds light on why the pickup truck bros don't want to lose their pickups. They are scared of everyone and anti-social angry people that only dream of running over families and spewing black smoke onto cyclists. How else will they compensate for their small uhhh issue.
I have just purchased my first e-bike, what a godsend, I have arthritis in my knees and walking became very painful, just taking the dog for a one kilometre walk, but the e-bike I have chosen is a 500w 48v system which is a hub motor, I can easily ride it as a normal bike if the battery went flat and it also has a throttle for easy starts from the stop signs and traffic lights, my arthritis won't go away but cycling (by e-bike) has given me back my sense of freedom.
very nice.
I do have a throttle on mine, but the main things I use it for is getting going from a standing start and travelling when I have grocery bags on my handle bars so I don't kick my groceries 100 times before I get home. I occasionally ride it throttle-only but that isn't very likely, I like to get my movement in as I get around. I also took a fall during a regular bike event so I could hardly bend my leg for a period of time and the throttle allowed me to keep using my ebike to get around instead of a car. Ebikes are replacing cars, not regular bikes so people using them become safer to people around them not more dangerous
@@ambiarock590 I hated shopping bags on the handlebars, still do. I bought a huge shopping pannier on Amazon (it's the ugly army green one, 5 star review from me), very rarely do I have a swinging bag on my handlebars. With those panniers and a bungee cargo net, I can pack 2-3 weeks of food for a single person in one trip. With the E-Bike I still need to pay attention to volume and not as much about weight.
I live in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil,and the e-bike is a very common way of going up and down the city. I have one. It is great. I can go buy some groceries,i can go to the mall (where they have bike parking),i can give rides to my friends,it works wonderfully.
Even if a place doesnt have dedicated bike parking, just about any pole or post works as long as your bike is not in people's way. If it's out of the way enough you should be fine and I've done that before.
Omg NotJustBikes made it here! So glad it’s becoming more mainstream
The guy's basically a city planning celebrity at this point 😂
Thank you!
Love that channel 👍🏽
They are just leftside anti cars channels. I hate those
@@jdnrotterdam2150 Why?
I'm 72 and I spent my life bicycle communting, recreational riding and bicycle touring, but until more dedicated bicycle paths and bike lanes separate from motor vehicles are available, I'm done. It is just too dangerous out there these days with distracted drivers.
Do we need dedicated, line for motorcycles, scooter, skateboard, and roller blade as well?
Ban smartphones! Handling electronic devices cause most of distraction accidents.
@@dutchman7623 more like ban cars in city centers to make the place safer overall
I'm the same age as you and haven't owned a car since Jimmy Carter was president. Distracted driving laws are not being enforeced as evidenced by all the RUclips videos recorded while driving. Smile at the camera while describing what a joy it is to drive your car while not paying attention.
@@anubizz3 No, motorcycles and scooters go as fast as cars and need a license, while few actually commute with skateboard / roller blade and can use multi use pathways
I live in Houston Texas. I use my E-Bike every day to get to work. Love it. Goes 25 MPH, and I bypass all the traffic. I charge at work, so free, gave up my car as well. Loving it.
Best option hands down. My family has moved to them. My son no longer rides the bus and gets to all of his activities on his own. We need more bike paths and external secure storage at malls, restaurants etc.
My job is only 4 miles from my home. I'm seriously considering getting a ebike. Will probably make a purchase when winter is over.
Do it! I promise you'll love it. Just make sure you have good clothes for commuting like a jacket and wind/waterproof pants
Same here, I got my e-bike this past summer and I don't regret my decision.
I got one on credit in October. It’s incredible. I highly recommend it.
Come on! Four miles can easily be done by muscle bike! Unless you live in a mountain area.
But compared to a car, commuting with an E-kike would be a great improvement.
Till my retirement I commuted by bicycle, gave me fresh air, time to leave work or home behind and interact with others on the way from and to work. And it kept me fit.
I too live 4 miles from work. There is plenty of sidewalks on my route. I want to bike once winter is over.
It’s frustrating for people to talk about injuries when there isn’t proper infrastructure. I hope that e-bikes and their popularity build a constituency for building safe infrastructure for pedestrians, cyclists and e-bike riders.
Agreed, but at the same time I can’t tell you how many times I have been almost hit by one doing 30 mph down a path through the park. Feel like this adoption needs to be done cautiously, I feel like we should prioritize pedal bikes.
@@jacobd1432 prioritizing infrastructure is what’s important. You can’t tell people to not buy a product that’s basically a car replacement. (Regulating e-motorcycles with bike pedals is a different story.)
As someone who walks, bikes, e-bikes, and drives, I’ll say from experience that safe infrastructure; streets, sidewalks and bike lanes, is what will keep people safe. From cars, and from cyclists.
@@jacobd1432 You're describing an infrastructure issue
@@ey3z4ya or people on ebikes not caring about others around them and thinking they can do w/e they want. been on a bike path and almost been hit 5 times by people on ebikes. which fyi e bikes are considered motor vehicles. but yet alot of them lack alot of stuff your suppose to have.
@@marshmelo15 make a different lane for them then
I ride my ebike to work daily, though my job isn't very far away. I'm only able to ride on the busy street or in parking lots because there are literally ZERO bike lanes and sidewalks are limited(did I mention I live right next to a SCHOOL?). I'd love for even my small town to have some bike centered infrastructure so that I can get to work safely and so the children who live nearby can walk effort to school. I'm a big fan of NJB too. Hi Jason!
The government hates this idea because you don’t have to pay them unnecessary registration fees
No fuel tax, no tickets, no oil changes, no costly repairs, no insurance and no car note either, just a cheaper mode of transport all around. And I almost forgot no license either.
government will find a way
Man you have a lot to learn about liberal democrats.
@@jghifiversveiws8729 You need a license because you bike freaks have no sense.
@@TychoKingdom I know plenty of people who have been injured or died in vehicle collisions the same cannot be said for bikes.
I live in a very bike friendly city (by American standards at least) and I've been bike + transit as my main form of transportation for the past 8 years. About 2 years back I got an ebike and its really increased the amount I ride. I view it as a mode of transportation more than anything else and its perfect for getting around the city. The bike can go 20mph but often I don't end up riding that fast just because I want as much range as possible. Its great to have the speed when I need it especially in times where I have to mix with traffic. The more folks on bikes the better in my opinion.
So the problem is cars, we need to prioritize other options of transportation besides cars. I’m so glad there is a huge wave, we need to do more though. Call our council members about the need for bike infrastructure
We need better public transport like Asia city, not city full of bike even in the cannal like amsterdam.
@@anubizz3 what? Bikes ate the most efficient type of transportation, why not like Amsterdam? You can only have some trains going for long trips, but you can’t have a train going to everyone’s house. That’s why bike are the best.
Great you can use your bike when it's 4 below zero in Boston
@@bradfordjhart Yes, I did when I lived there. No different than walking outside when it's 4 below zero. Just look out for patches of ice and deep snow.
@@howard6433 you also need bike handle gloves. The ones I've seen Uber eat bikers use. Nobody will use their bare hands during the winter cold
I am so thoroughly impressed with this story. It gives me hope that more people are becoming aware of the shortcomings and dangers associated with car centric design. Props to Jason Slaughter from NJB for making it on here. Hopefully this will mean more progress in expanding bicycle infrastructure.
I've been a car enthusiast for a long time and I fully support ebikes and better urban planning
>40,000 people die from cars every year from cars in the USA "Oh well, gotta break some eggs to make an omelette"
>10 people die per year from e-bikes "THE SKY IS FALLING"
Love that Jason from NJB was featured predominately in this video and it’s completely true that cars are the #1 threat to anyone on the road. Just sucks that this video didn’t really talk about that until the last quarter of the play time.
#OrangePilled here - yeah, I love NJB and glad he’s getting attention. So many *die* from cars and even more are injured. But in the US we destroyed cities for car dependency. We destroyed our housing stock in cities and then put everyone into a car in the suburb. It’s absolutely insane.
Yeah NJB is awesome. I don't know why they dedicated over half of this video explaining why e-bikes are worse than regular bikes when cars are the #1 threat.
that because it how the story is written, it that what the danger just within e-biking alone to what this the bigger issue
Sad that Not Just Bikes was featured here. They could have found someone else like City Beautiful who doesn't bully and put down people not like him. His "that's-not-racist" racist remarks don't help too. It's people like him that creates this cars vs bikes hate that is spewed in the bicycle advocacy community against people not like him. Then his continued lies and cherry-picking data doesn't help either. In this video, he claims that the Netherlands simply installed bike infrastructure overnight with no complaints. The truth is that is not true. It took decades to reach where they are now. It will probably take just as long in the US, but the way he trivializes it that the Netherlands and the US are the same only creates more conflict instead of solutions. It's so sad that so many people watch him as his videos only spew hate and division.
@@puffpuffin1Not even within the next 100 years will the US achieve anything close to the Netherlands. People are just way too fat and stupid (statistical fact).
Outdated infrastructure is a pretty accurate description.
Outdated, and frankly poorly designed. The most common use of land in most US cities is parking lots. Everything is designed solely around cars and it leads to barren, spread out cities
@@TaldanZero It's terrible infrastructure by design, it's no accident
Outdated is a poor choice of word. American roads are primarily post WW2 paved, designed for the most modern road transit....automobiles, trucks, buses and trains removed from the roadway. This allowed the common everyman the ability to go 20 miles with cargo and protection in only 30 minutes or so in low congestion. Not possible with more primitive methods.
European roads were paved when more primitive and less expensive transit was the bulk of the transport:
Walking, cycles, streetcars, horses, wagons, carriages, carts.
For this enthusiast sector, there is a thought that the new fad is new, but it is regressive in tech.
A bicycle has almost always been a not fish nor fowl vehicle since they emerged as a regency era fratboy fad, the hobby horse. Pedestrians hated them and wanted them off the pavement (sidewalks), streetcars, taxis, horsemen and omnibuses saw them as a major dangerous annoyance....so somebody had to absorb them into existing sectors against their will.
The Netherlands is uniquely flat and small. Skating and cycling for transit was something done for 200 years by the commoners. Therefore the ancient roads and canals lent themselves to such simplistic machines much more than automobiles.
I like to bike myself and like to have a place to do it....however a poorly skilled cyclist or a child is in serious danger outside the immediate residential slow pace streets of a housing neighborhood in many places.
So outdated....no. Just not primarily engineered to a particular more throwback vehicle we somehow still love. Same could be said of horseback, sedan chairs, Amish buggies or chariots.
@@STho205 Outdated
@@Rune-Thief as a bicycle is outdated by a motorcycle and finally a car and next....who knows....doubt we'll see Doc Brown's flying DeLorean...sure didn't by 2015.
We shipped our rad mini bikes to Barcelona and mainly used them as our primary mode of transportation. Our youngest is 11 and he rode it all over the city with us. The key is that 1) everyone rides a bike in Barcelona. Cars respect bikers and pedestrians. 2) there are dedicated bike lanes 3) everyone for the most part follows the road rules. I never saw a bike accident. Where as here in Austin, there is a car accident every week. I prefer e-bikes.
E-bike use can indeed cause serious injuries. Now wait till people learn about the death and disability toll of car dependency 🤯
53 e-bike related deaths in the US since 2017… compared to 40,000 *every single year* for cars.
@Autodrome96 Source for the 4000x number? Also my point wasn’t necessarily that e-bikes were inherently safer, I was pointing out the absurdity of the media dunking on how dangerous e-bikes can be while ignoring that the main mode of transportation for almost everyone in this country is absurdly deadly.
@@TagetesAlkesta Hate how people love to point at the small handful of issues with ebikes and think they need to be gotten rid of, but ignore the 40K people who die to cars every year. We lose 13X the number of people to cars per year than on 9/11. Cars are the bigger issue than ebikes.
3:28 this is the guy CNBC should highlight more. NJB is a channel that every American local gov should watch
Jason is getting what he wanted from this, and i do not mean bike infra but recognition.
@@squidcaps4308 No. He never wanted any of this at all. His original goal was to show people back home why he moved. It blew up unexpectedly.
He's stated multiple times he's not an advocate. As an engineer he expects people to see the facts and accept them as they are. It makes zero sense to him how people can be in denial about the facts.
In fact, had he known the other urbanists channels he wouldn't have started his channel (his own words).
Nope. That's the stupidest idea I've seen so far. You support bullies who put down people not like him? His "that's-not-racist" racist remarks don't help too. It's people like him that creates this cars vs bikes hate that is spewed in the bicycle advocacy community against people not like him. Then his continued lies and cherry-picking data doesn't help either. In this video, he claims that the Netherlands simply installed bike infrastructure overnight with no complaints. The truth is that is not true. It took decades to reach where they are now. It will probably take just as long in the US, but the way he trivializes it that the Netherlands and the US are the same only creates more conflict instead of solutions. It's so sad that so many people watch him as his videos only spew hate and division.
@@puffpuffin1 You've never actually watched any of his content, have you? Because nothing you say even comes close to statements coming from him.
The key issue here is that even CNBC are comparing the ebike to the acoustic bike. The comparison should be with the car people are swapping for an ebike... it makes no sense comparing the safety of an ebike they do use to the safety of an acoustic bike they didn't use.
If you compare the physical damage caused to people by cars vs by ebikes it is obvious that transition from car to ebike is safer... ebikes don't need to be safer than acoustic bikes because they are not a replacement for acoustic bikes.
Exactly! Ebikes aren't for people who already cycle. They are for car drivers who hate driving but don't like arriving to their destinations all sweaty.
@@ex0stasis72 unless you live somewhere like NZ where they restrict motor size rather than top assisted speed. That makes it a viable car alternative for everyone as it means hills and headwinds don't make you late for a meeting & helps people who are bike riders or cycle delivery people keep cycling all week even if it's a high KM week.
In places like the UK the speed restriction has been set low.... presumably so that it doesn't reduce car sales, either that or the people lobbying for low limits were not on the car and oil payroll.
Huge advocate for e-biking here and I do agree with these people, that car traffic and an infrastructure that primarily caters to cars is the reason why they're dangerous. I live in a city where there are dedicated bike lanes away from car traffic and it encourages more people to go out and ride, so there are several cyclists out here. The paths are completely out of the way of car traffic, so while you see few people walking on sidewalks adjacent to stroads, there is considerably heavier traffic on the bike paths which have the ability to take you anywhere within city limits. Other places around the country (US, for context) put bicycles right in the middle of car traffic where they are increasingly susceptible to collision, some don't even have sidewalks so inclement weather sees you walking through terrain weathered down by other pedestrians or is completely uncharted territory. Even when there are sidewalks, it's much safer to ride there than in the street next to 50-60+ mph traffic, but you will absolutely get hounded for doing so. Why do we have to choose between risking our own safety and breaking the law? This is the dismal state of American infrastructure.
If local and state governments want to encourage more e-biking, they should build the infrastructure to make it necessary, and at cost far cheaper than accommodating cars. While this often comes at driver's expense, it's a necessary shift which may also see traffic reduction assuming cycling critical mass is achieved. It's literally expand a highway for $100M per yard paved (while uprooting yet another low-income neighborhood) or spend a small fraction of that money painting more defined bike lanes and setting up more bike parking. In my local area, even having better cycling infrastructure does not change the immeasurable parking disparity. You're vying for 10 spaces spread over two bike racks found next to the dumpster vs. the 4-500 parking spaces accommodating mostly single-occupant automobiles. If traffic in these locations increases (which it will as the city pivots to a commercial, financial, retail, and real estate hub in the state), local residents will find competition with visitors every single day for parking accommodation. I can't tell you how much 500 parking spots cost, but I can tell you it's far more expensive than 500 bike racks and causes reductions in retail space. Unfortunately, the current car-centric focus is driving decision-making at the city and I've seen more changes supporting car use than alternative transit.
On the other hand, there is hope. I see changes happening everywhere from my hometown to local cities building new bike lanes, bike racks, and other accommodations. More people approach me curious about cycling as a car alternative rather than a purely recreational tool. They still balk at the price, but I see many commuters are slowly warming up to the idea of investing into e-bikes as a means of reducing car dependency. The recent surge in popularity and increasing bike infrastructure tell me that people are doing something about it and there is interest, so it's only a matter of time before things really start to speed up for non-drivers.
These next few years will be interesting for transportation, that's a certainty.
I've been riding an ebike around my city since April and I've had some people ask me about it and I'm happy to share that I like riding it. They're really good for cities and we need more accomodations for bikes and other forms of transit not cars
Bikes should be the most used form of transportation, with trains covering the distances too far to cycle.
Ong ong in the not so far future the us gonna go back to trains but cars still gonna be a thing but the us gonna build a big project and build alot of railways across the usa
@@tatsuyaaikawa7185 Only cause they’ve run out of space for more highways, out of necessity, not intention, although funny they haven’t expanded the 2 lane each way highway between LA and Vegas, considering there’s tons of space in the valley to do so, but no need now, as a high speed rail line is coming in 5 or so years.
Wrong public transport are. What's wrong with scooter, skateboard, roller blade, you feet?
They just said in the video people don’t want to breathe on each other on trains, and that’s in NYC. This is one reason why people choose private vehicles
@@ncard00 it’s been blocked by other people
My man not just bikes making it big on news channels
What?
@@pimpinaintdeadho He means the guy owning the big youtube channel coming on a big news channel like CNBC is a huge achievement.
@@pimpinaintdeadho the great RUclipsr " Not just bikes" they are probably a fan as well
@@NicksDynasty Thanks, makes sense when it's a channel name.
e-bikes were meant to be about assisting hill climbs, not replacing the need to pedal; of course, people like to outsmart regulations, so it's not uncommon to see e-bikes being ridden without any need to pedal.
I do use my ebike unassisted but rarely. I primarily use pedal assist. The times that I use the throttle only is when I have bags on my handlebars and would rather not kick my groceries 100 times on the way home and to get up to speed from a standstill. People like to point out how dangerous ebikes are but fail to realize how much MORE dangerous cars are
Omg I just binge watched all of Not Just Bikes videos like a week ago. His content is awesome. I highly recommend. Great seeing him in this video
I used an e-bike in London and they're suprisingly quite powerful. They don't assist in achieving higher speeds, instead they enable you to go from 0mph to 10mph very quickly. Any cyclist will know peddling from a dead stop takes a lot of energy and having an electric motor do the accelerating for you makes cycling a lot easier.
Faster acceleration is also due to ebikes' typically smaller wheels. Regular bikes with small wheels can take off pretty fast too.
This is also where the 'max' 250watts story comes from most ebikes in europe these days can do 600-700watts and generate 85nm-95nm in a legal way thats more power ratio then most cars. They are limited in speed so indeed can be quicker at startup. My 85nm auto gear switching ebike gets away faster from the stoplight to 25km/h than most cars if i try over 25km/h i just get tired quickly if i try to keep up with the cars :). Wheel size doesn't matter too much here ebikes in 90% of cases use same wheel size i use 29" wheels, 2.4" wide.
Use the gears on a bike. I've been cycling for 25 years and it's not a problem if you know how to use them.
@@the_kombinatorI remember travelling between cities on rural roads a bunch some years ago. I'd sure loved to have had some electric help going uphill with a headwind, at least. Gears helped me .... go really really slow.
Some eBikes can hit 60mph, so they absolutely can go fast!
Cure the carbrained! 👏🏻 This didn't even touch on the detriments of noise and air pollution, especially urban and suburban, and it's already compelling enough.
My hometown of Mpls made it illegal to even idle for more than 3 minutes due to clean air efforts! (we have a growing decent bike paths and a growing group of Ebikers which I have been one of since 2018. I haven't so much as burned one gallon of gas in the last 20 years!)
@@sillyseattlecat He said nothing about ebikes, just to get out of the car. Most sane societies have good transit systems.
EVs also require less maintenance, are more efficient at converting energy to drive, and are less expensive to own over your lifetime than ice vehicles.
@@howard6433 Why would you want people to get out of their cars for other inferior modes of transit? Transit isn't going to be as fast as driving which makes transit inferior.
A rare moment of actually compelling reporting by a mainstream TV news broadcaster. Enjoy it while it lasts.
The problem of injuries cannot all be blamed at the feet of the e-bikes and the riders, poor infrastructure, distracted drivers, distracted pedestrians all have a part to blame and then we have the petrol chemical industry who have been actively but stealthily pulling the strings in the background to railroad the electric boom. Demonising these users or e-bikes is not the answer, taxing, harsh regulation is counter productive, thought and action is needed to change the overall view social view. ~Trooper
I find the "dangers" of ebikes pretty laughable when on flat ground or downhill, a fit person can cycle faster on a non-assisted bicycle than the 32 km/h ebikes are governed to. The problem is when using the full speed in inappropriate places, which can be fixed with proper bicycle lanes separated from pedestrians and cars and a society that teaches children how to bicycle safely.
I love that Jason from NotJustBikes was featured. I've been a subscriber for roughly a year, but I do hope this can lead to more subscribers for his channel and more people taking the orange pill, realizing not just things with ebikes but problems in general with car centric design.
There everywhere in my town lol I was probably the only ebiker in my hood a few yrs ago but not any more .
It's great to see older people in their 60s riding ebikes .😁
They always say they are so happy to be able to ride again .
If you're reading this and considering getting an E-bike or just a bike in general I highly reccommend it. I started biking regularly in 2018 because I was super depressed and I was suffering from severe anxiety and I needed a hobby, I bike almost every day when I can now. There's nothing like biking. I credit my greatly improved mental health to biking alone. I don't have an E bike but I think an E bike would make it even more awesome because getting tired is the only thing that stinks.
One of the biggest appeals of traveling with a bike is the lack of regulations (you can go a lot more places than cars).
Even though it was illegal I took a bike of mine through a state park down by the mighty Mississkippy.
Bikes with cargo trailers can make money than just a bike
A bike is generally required to follow the same traffic laws as vehicles.
@@Pete-rs4yz Yeah those rules are stupid and dangerous it's much safer in most of the country for them to ride on the sidewalk instead of the road for example. And luckily most people and police see it that way as well and don't enforce those laws. But it'd be stupid to enforce them
@@Pete-rs4yz cargo trailers used with electric bikes seems to meet requirements of all the laws. It does not violate speed because extra strength is needed for cargo trailer, the electric assist acts as a towing assist function for small cargo, and the biker can attach lights to the bikes cargo to meet safety requirements.
More bike infrastructure, please! 🙌🏻
I replaced my Kia Forte with a Radpower Radmission and Radrunner. My wife and I have fallen in love with cycling in Dallas...the worst rated cycling city in the US. These things are genuinely impressive. Maintain your brakes, ride away from pedestrians and slow down when you can and you won't be one of the wreck statistics.
Bought an ebike for my partner for Christmas last year and she LOVES it. I still have an old school bike, but I am definitely considering an ebike for myself when we have a kid.
Nice seeing this on old news channals and it's nice seeing "Not Just Bikes" also why do they keep bringing up how they are more dangerous then regular bikes? How does that matter when they area WAYYYYyyyyy safer then cars?
Especially when Ebikes are replacing people's cars, not regular bikes.
I would assume its due to bad regulation like they can have throttle and go up to 32 km/h but also being pedal assisted. In the EU you can have it throttle assisted but it can't give you more speed than 6 km/h if you want to go faster the pedal assist will help you until it stops at 25 km/h
In my head it makes no sense to me that they are more dangerous than regular bikes.
They mention they are more dangerous than normal bikes because a lot of people, especially older people, who get an ebike under-estimate their speed.
@@ilovesuisse1 There are also a lot of delivery services that use ebikes and they are in a hurry leading to accidents.
This news piece seems more like anti Bike propaganda designed to scare people from riding at all. I’ll bet the auto industry is behind it. Theres’s a lot of fear running through this story.
I have been cycle Ng normal bicycle for 30 years and I did not want to waste money on e-bike. But as the petrol prices and maintenance cost of my car stared to rise so much I decided to sell my old car and buy e-bike that s summer. This was excellent financial and health decision. The fuel itself costs me 70 times less for e-bike than for a small car. I do not have any of the road tax cost, insurance cost, fixing cost, parking costs and problems etc. Absolutely amazing solution.
I even bought trailer so I can carry heavy shoppings: 20 kg cement bag, 30 kg propane cylinder, 32" TV. I save ship boat load of money 💰.
And even more I spend more time on fresh air using e-bike. I think now all cars should be banned in cities.
hilarious that they're comparing the safety of e-bikes to the safety of bikes instead of cars. jason slaughter is a king.
Where I live in Germany many employers offer rental schemes to their employees. After a couple of years you can choose to purchase the bike at a significant discount or continue to rent with a new bike in which case the original bike is sold off
Cars just aren't economically viable anymore. Prices crept up to 50k+ and loan terms balooned to 8 years or more. As interest rates keep going up, cars make less and less economic sense. Alternatives keep getting better.
Not to mention, roads need costly maintenance to fix things like potholes, but don't generate any tax revenue, and people freak out if you start charging them to park or drive.
(And yet people argue against public transport because it can't "sustain itself")
@@bishop8958 you're telling me all of our roads are owned by the government?! SOCIALISM!!!
@@bishop8958 Same with bike lanes. We can't build bike lanes cuz that will "increase traffic" when that could not be more untrue
As Jason Slaughter (NJB) said, there are strict regulations in the Netherlands concerning E-bikes. And the rest of the EU is following in their footsteps. Only pedal assist is considered a bicycle and limited to 25 km/h. Throttle powered is considered to be a moped, as well are pedal assists that can go up to 45 km/h, anything else would be motorcycle.
But the regulations not only limit to bicycles, cars need a regular check on brakes, lights, road safety and pollution level.
That also increases safety for all.
And to get a driving license for moped, motorcycle, car or truck, you need to follow lessons and pass an exam, both about traffic laws and regulations, but also an hour long practical exam to prove you can handle your motorized vehicle.
And yes, we see more accidents with E-bikes than with muscle powered bicycles. But that's also related to the fact that almost all 80+ have an E-bike nowadays, and they were already higher in the charts because of lower sight, hearing, reaction time and other limitations. And some of that age just 'seize', most in bed or armchair, but also while cycling.
I remember reading a "Choose your own adventure" book when I was a kid. Specifically, the Cave of Time. In one of the stories, the main character ends up in a far futuristic time when people moved beyond cars, and instead rode bikes everywhere. In fact, the roads were replaced with bike trails.
As a motorcyclist and bicyclist, in traffic the biggest dangers tend to be what is behind, by limiting speed vulnerable cyclist has cars continually passing and in order to stay aware must balance looking hand and behind miking it more dangerous. I contrast, traveling slightly faster than the flow of cars put most hazards in front so rider is able to focus on the road and hazards ahead, rather than the distraction of looking behind, making travel much safer.
Not just bikes is super underrated. Glad he's getting the attention he deserves...
Parents ask why the kids don't go outside anymore. It's not because of the phones, it's because the neighborhoods are highway exits.
It’s both.
@@burgerman101 please, everyone has a phone. If they were that evil the problen would extend well beyond kids
@@alienjesus796 It does. I’ll go to dinner or a hangout with full grown adults and their heads are buried in their phones the entire time. It’s like they’re only half present.
Great vid. I never get tired of watching videos on alternative everyday transportation, Not Just Bikes is awesome.
CNBC listened to my feedback (and maybe others too) by interviewing Not Just Bikes for this topic.
In New Zealand ( Auckland mainly , cbd )we are already seeing the increase of newly built bike lanes everywhere. It’s all a big preparation for the future as fuel runs lower. The council could however be doing a better job at relaying this information to the public as alot of people don’t like the new bike lanes
How about build better public transport. It will naturally reduce the car usage, then convert that unused road to share line{not freeking bike line} than everybody happy.
I am sure like Sydney, NZ council just remove road, yes the same road that use by bus and make bike line. No wonder people don't like it.
@@anubizz3 you have done a good job proving his/her point.
It's about education. If someone made everyone aware that their is not enough space to stop car congestion if every flat space between buildings was road then they might stop thinking that more road surface for cars could solve the problem of them sitting in traffic.
NZ could also do with pointing out how much of a potential trade deficit importing cars and fuel for cars cuases. A huge portion of NZ peoples income is spent on this and its almost entirely going to overseas business.
NZ also does not do a good job of publicizing the cost of reading and road repairs. People might want slower speed limits and less car parking on street if they realised it costs them thousands of $$$ in tax per year.
I suppose none of the above is a priority for the 2 main parties in NZ though as they are funded by the people who might lose $ if people didn't keep doing what they are doing now.
I've been eScooting around Auckland CBD for the last 3 years. I love the new bike lanes and my Zero 10X
So here in NYC the delivery guys speeding thru intersections on their ebikes is definitely dangerous, but when you look at statistics, cars are like 100x more dangerous to pedestrians. We are just conditioned to focus on the bikes and ignore the cars.
You should see how scooters are operated in any major Korean city. Lights are totally optional, road rules? Now I'm a pedestrian!
It's not only delivery guys , it's all cyclist
I just wanna say, CNBC creates great contents. Well read, easily comprehensible, and thought provoking. Keep it up!
As a city dweller, I’ve embraced the bike and walking route. You feel so much more connected to the community.
Living in Toronto, I’ve seen noticeable improvement with the biking infrastructure. This came with an increase use of bikes, and I welcome this change and where it’s headed. But if we keep this up, we will see more e-bikes riding along sidewalks. So I hope better policies and regulations are put in place to make the streets safer for all.
Silly question...... I had an accident on my e-bike the day before christmas. The accident happened when I was turning, and as I was not pedalling, I had no e-assist operating. The road was slippery and it had just rained, and had a coating of wet leaves. I was travelling at less than 5mph. I broke a couple of ribs. Would this accident be attributed to my e-bike and therefore get added to the e-bike accident numbers? This accident, in my opinion had absolutely nothing to do with e-bikes. It could have happened to me on a regular bicycle, my motorcycle, even in a car. I'd like to think the increase in injuries is not due just to the fact people are riding e-bikes(because, granted, some accidents can, 100%, be attributed to the use of an e-bike, usually because someone did something they shouldn't have or were acting irresponsibly), but that there are just more people riding bikes overall.
accidents happen. i've wrecked my regular bicycle many times. just be more careful when wet
Cars don't like sharing the road with bicyclists and bicyclists don't like being on the road with cars. Everyone would be happier if we invested in bicycle infrastructure. Not to mention it's cheaper better for the environment, has less noise pollution, and will reduce traffic congestion
I have never seen Mike Rad before but I bought one of his Ebikes back in 2018 that I have enjoyed the hell out of. I'd definitely buy it again. I have the radcity ST frame because I have a lot of health challenges and the bike has allowed me to save the bus fare downtown to medical appts. It has more than paid for itself, repairs have been minimal, and I have customized mine by adding 2 Wald 582 folding rear baskets to carry groceries plus an Omaha steaks cooler on back to carry frozen items in summer. I average about 42 items from the grocery store in one trip on this bike with this set up plus I never have to wait for a bus anymore or know their schedule.
The other thing a lot of people do not know is that you can legally ride on studded winter tires on bikes but not on cars due to the damage they do to roads. When you have studded tires on an Ebike its plenty safe because your traction is immense to say the least. It feels safer than driving on dry pavement during the summer because the braking power of the dual disc brakes is really unlocked with these studded tires. ( This is from some one who has about 2,000 Ebike miles on my 2018 RadCity ST which I ride all year around. I ran 3 local errands on mine yesterday. I can also attest to the fact that demand was/is HIGH because back then radcity sold out of these bikes in just minutes and I had to put my order in 3 different times, weeks apart, in order to finally get one and even then I didn't get the color I really wanted -- The safety orange. White just dirties up quickly especially in bad weather. But I try to run a red blinking light on the bike even in the day because I bike in Mpls which is a very busy city and I have been hit downtoan on one of my non-Ebikes and I get out of downtown during rushhour very easily on the Ebike as all the cars are jammed together getting commutter cage syndrome as Jethro Tull would call it in one of their songs, Colors ) Mentally, it almost always feels like a treat to mount this Ebike and its probably the best purchase I made in that decade! Plus I get to brag as I'm in the bleeding edge of the movement. ;-)
Glory to Ukraine! 💙💛 Down with Putin!
Long term urban cyclist here (in Athens Greece. crazy place to drive/cycle). Fresh owner of an e-bike. Ebikes are amazing, however , inexperienced riders should really take their time and get used to them, they are more dangerous, simply because is much easier to get to higher speed, before your legs can take you there. The skill does not match the speed.
I feel much safer on my e-bike than I do on a regular bike. I had stopped riding on streets, but having the extra power to get away quickly from stoplights makes me feel much safer. The suburban area I live in suffers from lack of traffic enforcement, many pedestrian fatalities, most of which are hit and runs and poor infrastructure . If there were more cycling infrastructure I'd start doing things like getting my groceries on the bike.
E bike rider here. One thing I don't like is when people think I'm anti car just because of my bike. I still drive, we're not trying to ban cars like some people say
Bought myself a folding E-Bike for Christmas for only $800. 10/10 would recommend
That seems very cheap! The e-bikes I've looked into are all 1200+ (midframe motors / pedal assist, though - maybe that's a difference?). Was it second hand?
@@Snowshowslow The Lectric XP-Lite was $200 off for black friday
@@jamestaylor3623 Ah nice :) good deal!
It's not the bikes that are dangerous, it's the cars. If bicycling fatalities are increasing, it's not because of electrics, it's because there are more people on bikes in general. And painted gutters are useless for safety.
I like how they make a big deal about 57 E-Bike deaths a year compared to the 50,000 car deaths and almost half a million car injuries per year
Focusing on the molehill instead of the mountain
I live 5 miles from my job, I'll be using my ebike every time the weather is good
Ive even used mine in the snow, I got a studded tire for it and a scarf and gloves and jacket work just fine
The answer is not to regulate e-bikes. The answer is to update our sh*t infrastructure to make it more bike friendly. Protected bike lanes will basically eliminate nearly all of these accidents. It will also decrease congestion in cities and make driving better. Even if you don't want to ride a bike, supporting bike infrastructure will benefit you.
I mean, there's merit in some e-bike regulation. The current limits on self-powered speed are pretty reasonable, and some controls on batteries to ensure high quality and stewardship and turn-in as they age would probably be a good idea.
Beyond that? There's no need.
Also remember that 53 people have died to ebikes sinve 2017, 40,000 people die to cars every single year. Cars are clearly more dangerous and ebikes barely even hold a candle to how dangerous cars are
Buying an e bike did so many things for in NYC. It cut my commute in half, I rarely have to get on the train anymore so I can avoid the crazies 😂, you get to connect with the environment and people more and learn your neighborhood, and I also use gig delivery apps on the side to make extra income when I don’t have anything to do. When i say dollar for dollar its been my best ever, its no joke.
Another problem is that sometimes, you arent even allowed to cross bridges on bikes at all, which really sucks. Changes need to be made.
Thank you for having Not Just Bikes!
More car-centric alternative content please!! Like....there is a huge community willing to watch content on this. And y'all have such a large platform to talk about this.
Just adding that it's also apparent when looking at how well your car-centric alternative themed videos do on this channel compared to others. The non-traditionally minded generation is clearly waking up to the benefits and gravitating towards this kind of content.
The biggest challenge with cycles and ebikes in London is not getting them stolen.
I lived in the Netherlands and it is really amazing from a biking standpoint. It is unrealistic to think the whole of USA can be like the Netherlands. The geography is variable while in the Netherlands, the whole country is tiny and the whole thing is FLAT. No hills, no mountains to speak of.
This is such an important topic, I'm glad a more mainstream outlet is covering this.
Please keep spreading awareness on the issue of car dependency!
Not American, English, but for me riding my bike would be much safer if the main bike lanes didn't double at gutters and car parking spots
Cycling is also a huge benefit for combating obesity rates. When you make it easier to commute using a bike, the general population is able to naturally exercise more just from their commute to and from work every day.
This is so true. There are so many benefits to society. Cycling also:
-Builds stronger social communities because you can actually see people.
-Helps with personal finance. It's cheaper to operate a bike so families can save money and poorer communities wouldn't need to rely on expensive automobiles to get around. The latter is of course contingent on better infrastructure.
-Helps small business. You can park a bunch more bikes in front of a local shop compared to street parking.
The list goes on... 😅
I moved to Los Angeles about a year ago and with my ebike I get to most places in a 30minute radius just as quickly as a car would due to the traffic. I invested 1.2k in March to buy the ebike and I haven’t had an expense (except 30$ for a busted tire). No gas expenses while gas prices were soaring. Honestly it’s been amazing. And everyone always tells me how badass I look lol. And customer service with that company has been great, they sent me a new display and a new seat when they broke as soon as I asked, no hesitation. I love telling ppl abt them honestly haha. The company is called “Lectric”
Your Ebike don't need to be charge?
@@anubizz3 obviously but electricity is dirt cheap lol
Lectric is a great company. I recommended it to a friend and he got one!
@@anubizz3 Well, duh.
@@james-p Well he mention electricity is not part of the costs in original post. Mostlikely he stole electricity from work or from public socket in his apartment.. Otherwise he will say it part of the costs.
In the Netherlands it is different because all motorist are also cyclist, more often the cycle pads are seperated from the motorways. so it is very safe.
I have an NCM T 1,000 e-fatbike. I couldn't even make 200 km round trips on a regular bike. I use it 10X more often and go 10X further. The speed tops out at a max 40 km downhill. This is safer than the super light weight Kona Dew I used to own. I always wear a lid even if it's not the law in Quebec.
Americans love driving 5,000lb vehicles to get 8 ounce coffees 😭
Only if they don't need to exit the car at all. There's a reason why they are all fat.
Just so everyone's aware, mandating helmets is terrible for cities. As Peter Walker said, "if helmets are the answer, you're asking the wrong question."
somestates outright mandate helmets..... let alone cities.
i've been ticketed in BC for not wearing a helmet.
Bike helmets are only necesary becuase you are expected to act like a car, and be amongst cars. In the Netherlands no one wears bike helments because you aren't competing with cars and cycling is VERY safe there
I live in the suburbs. My ebike is primarily used for liesure on weekends. However, I’ve been using it more when going somwhere where parking a car is too bothersome. Been discovering some cool restaurants and shops in my local downtown that I would have never known about otherwise because of lack of parking for cars.
What a lovely video.
I ride an eBike as my primary mode of transportation (despite owning two cars 😬) because it's faster, cleaner, more fun, and makes me feel like part of the community. It makes me more fit, and makes me feel more alive.
The biggest downside: cars nearly hitting me. I do what I can to be visible, and I'm extremely defensive, but... We need better separation.
One thing we need to change with e-bikes is some standardization of parts and ensuring replacement parts are available, because a lot of e-bikes are absolutely screwed if you can't modify them and the battery goes bad because a lot of manufacturers have maybe a handful of extra batteries for sale, if any, because a lot of these are just fly-by-night dropshippers. Also I highly recommend using a full face helmet on e-bikes.
Unfortunately having been in the bike industry as a mechanic I can tell you manufacturers take advantage of the lack of standardization to keep selling more bikes. Same thing is happening with EVs and the right to repair or modify them. Why own your car/bike when you can have an endless payment/lease?
@@johnnyguzman3429 don't even get me started with how so many of these manufacturers are doing the "buy now pay later" type financing, but yeah it's absolute trash that you can't get replacement parts so you wind up either having to be a very good mechanic, or to buy a new bike every time certain parts break, which will be less than a year from when you bought it.
Exactly. In 2 years there are going to be millions of eBikes with minor defects collecting dust in garages all over North America. Just changing a tube on an eBike is tough.
just get a motorcycle, they're way better suited for a car centric infrastructure, they get an average mileage of 60mpg, further range than an e-bike, parts are more standardized, no E-waste, and better capacity and speed.
@@Wokegooglers Definitely a slippery slope from an ebike to a full blown motorcycle, especially when considering how much some of these ebikes go for. However older people don't have the reflexes to handle motorcycles at high speeds, you need a license to drive them and they weigh a couple of hundred pounds more than an ebike. Gas powered scooters might be a solution as well, but still a lot to handle for some people, especially those with balance issues.