It is a difficult situation. Even walking along paths in parks where pedal bikes are allowed almost gets you run over so now we have another wheeled vehicle type that pedistrians don't want on their sidewalks and drivers don't want on their streets.

I believe these need to be seperated by speed. As an avid cyclist and commuter I am considerably faster than a lot of the scooters I see. Howeve something like what is pictured in the above article would easily be able to exceed speeds safe for a bike path. I regulate myself in a similiar manner, if I am riding the commuter bike at a nice little 10-15mph on my daily commute i stick to the bike path and slow down for pedestrians and people moving slower than me. If I am out for a ride on my time trial bike and holding speeds of 20-25mph I stay off the bike paths and ride the road as I am clearly not riding at a safe speed to be interacting with pedestrians, roller bladers and their four footed companions.

Hit the road jack.

As a cyclist who rides the streets of downtown Toronto, I can say that electric scooters (or any mobilized vehicle) is really a poor match for the city's limited trails. Its inconvenient at best to have to stick to the trail due to the meandering nature of most and the fact that in Toronto, they are usually multi-use (or at least get that way) with women pushing running strollers or people walking arms linked and taking Fifi for a walk. I don't even ride on the Toronto trails, unless it's in the Beaches and im bikini watching.

So what do we need? Low speed electric vehicle designation. One that does not require a license, but merely a "GREEN" plate to show police that yes, this is an electric vehicle and has a place on the roads. I also think the -35kph limit should be lifted. You go as fast as you can on city streets in order to keep with traffic. Nothing is worse then trying to pass someone who's puttering along - that in it's own right is a hazard.

As a note, I spotted 4 EV scooters along the Danforth (one of Toronto's main corridor for cyclists) where there is no real bike lane and they were moving along just find at 40kph, which is fairly easy to manage in Toronto traffic. So I am glad that they are catching on!

I think the article is misleading in claiming that these go "as fast as gas powered scooters". I bought one of these little units... and sent it back because it was just too slow. Unless I'm mistaking, those that look like a gas scooter, but have pedals, have a top speed of about 30km (at best) and are limited to 500w motors or less. I sometimes go faster on my road bike!

I think bigger ones, those that can travel at traffic speeds without pedals, should not be allowed on bike paths. For the other slower ones, seeing them on the bike path is fine. Can understand that a lot of bikers won't like it, but like any change, it will take some getting used to.

Marc P.

E. None of the above. It would be better for everyone if we got rid of "bike lanes". All lanes should be shared lanes, because we want to encourage variety and ingenuity in vehicle design, not complicate the laws or our lives. Segregating traffic based on size, shape, name, number of wheels, number of travellers, age, color, or political persuasion is just silly. The only useful segregation is by speed, and we already do that by having laws that say that you pass on the left (or right, in a few countries). So, by default, the outside lanes are for slower traffic, and the inside lanes are for faster traffic, regardless of any other random qualities the vehicles/individuals might have. As long as there is enough room for two lanes of traffic in each direction, everyone will be as safe and happy as possible. No random discrimination necessary :-)

Also, bike lanes are very different from bike paths. A bike lane is a part of the roadway, a bike path is a roadway only for bikes. And a multi-use path is a roadway for non-motorized traffic (pedestrians, cyclists, skaters, etc.). Making the distinction helps clarify what you are talking about. This survey doesn't make it clear which you are asking about.

I really like the idea of multi-use paths that turn "regular" roads into sustainable transportation (human powered transportation) roads. I don't however, want to see MORE roads paved, with more petroleum-based goo, just to get the bikes and pedestrians off the regular roads.

Even better is to use psychology and science to create street environments that encourage safe and sustainable transportation, by using the ideas that David Engwicht and Portland, Oregon's City Repair, and others, have discovered.

Turil said "So, by default, the outside lanes are for slower traffic, and the inside lanes are for faster traffic, regardless of any other random qualities the vehicles/individuals might have."

That is great until you need to turn. Trying to have bicycles turn left from the right lane, or cars turning right from the left lane, are recipies for disaster.

Just because it is electric does not make it a "bike"

Check your local ordinances, but around here if it goes slower than 20mph, it is an electric bike and no license or registration needed and can ride on a bike path.

Over 20mph but less than 30mph and it is a moped, and needs a registration

If it goes over 30mph, it's a motorcycle and needs both a license and regristration. Not many of these offered for sale though!

This is partly why you see so many electric scooters and bikes that go under 20mph, and very few offerings that go faster

I get yelled at by people when I use a normal bicycle. No bicycles are allowed on sidewalk in Seattle, but some drivers are just jerks and don't know the rules of the road.

I personally don't think electric scooters belong on the bike trails. I think that wattage/hp should be considered as well as the weight of the bike. Even a modest eBike can get up to 50lbs which starts to become dangerous. I think Pedels and non-combustion should be requirements for biketrails...

I think most cities should promote scooter parking or other perks to encourage smaller vehicles.

Streets are already very dangerous, and making pedestrian area's more dangerous for the benifit of scooters is dumb.

imagine future New York City when Microcabs are allowed on the bike paths...

I own several electric bikes and I get peeved when I see scooters with pedals stuck on the sides being called electric bikes. It's quite clear these style of scooters are never meant to be ridden as a bicycle. So they should not be so named.

True electric bicycles are completely feasible to ride without power assist. Some of them can go very fast, but not appreciably more than a fit cyclist, and so are perfectly justified on a bike path. They allow those of us who want to get to work without needing a shower the option to work hard on our bikes when its' appropriate, and use less resources all round instead of commuting via various fossil fueled means.

However I agree with previous commenters that cycling traffic should not be subject to apartheid, and it would be better for everyone if cycling traffic were more encouraged on the roads, there is proof that the higher the percentage of cyclists on roads, the lower the number of accidents.

I say: Put the greens on the road, make the fossils drive in the bike lanes. Try keeping that one between the lines. I bet they slow down, and maybe have time to think about what they are contributing to the destruction of the environment.

Are you kidding? BOTH! In a day and age where the consequences of global warming loom over us like a 10 ton hammer we need to provide every incentive possible for people to get rid of their gas guzzlers and drive green. It burns me up to see cities impose restrictions on the use of electric scooters, bikes, segways, etc.

I am a new electric scooter owner and rider, and I appreciate being able to ride in the bike lanes because they make me feel safer, and at 32km/hr I feel like I am holding up traffic if I am on the road. I would also prefer that they allow them to at least go 40km so you can keep up with and not annoy drivers.

However, I think that the solution to the bike lane problem is to have some electric scooter etiquette....

- if the bike lane is empty, go ahead and ride there
- if you encounter a cyclist, defer to the road
- if you are holding up traffic, stop and let them pass - it's just nice

And in the end, it is not mandatory for cyclists or scooters to use bike lanes, so use good judgement.

After just recently being placed back into the ranks of the walking - another bike stolen - I would absolutely love to get an electric bike next since I could get around a bit better with one than a regular bike. Personally I'd like one that assists me in pedalling - especially steeep hills! argh

Being a very timid rider, when I've experienced across a problem in the past it hasn't been with e bikes or their riders - I certainly have hadbad experiences than with couriers and "super bicyclist" that are reckless and endanger not only themselves but everyone. (My other nickname for the really wreckless riders is organ donor - since I just don't understand after seeing so many people all over the road they still ride that way) - (My other big beef is taxi drivers! but I won't even get into that) I think there is more tolerance needed in this city from everyone. Anyway, I have no problem with ebikes as it may help the environment to get more people who otherwise wouldn't use environmentally friendly means of transport . To me it simply comes down to respecting other people.