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I honestly don't even know what subset of automotive rules apply to e-bikes. Do they have to follow signs for one way streets? Do they go on sidewalks and co-ex

I honestly don't even know what subset of automotive rules apply to e-bikes. Do they have to follow signs for one way streets? Do they go on sidewalks and co-exist with walkers? Do they follow traffic lights? I just moved to Germany and electric scooters are seemingly in the same regulatory grey space. There was a scooter in the bike lane, blew through a red light, and then went up the wrong way on a divided street. Personally, I would like bikes/e-bikes/scooters to just be predictable and predictability means laws and regulations.

rob_c 4y ago
The biggest problem is lack of policing. And then frankly that people know this so act like cowboys. The arguments against a bike lisence are the same as "big govt can't make me wear seatbelt for my safety" bad arguments shouted be people who know they're wrong and get backed into a corner. Unfortunately on this issue they shout so loud that people listen ...
- ndsipa_pomu 4y ago
  The arguments against bike licensing/registration/insurance etc. is that the cost to implement and run the scheme is orders of magnitude greater than the purported benefits. Here in the UK, some house/contents insurance includes cycle liability insurance as the number of claims is negligible and it costs the company very little (not so much cycle theft insurance). The other oft-forgotten aspect of cycling is that in places with social healthcare, the health benefits from cycling will save money, so it can actually save the state money to introduce free cycle liability insurance if it increases the numbers cycling.
  - rob_c 4y ago
    And another day where I nearly get hit buy 2 cyclists walking home choosing not to obey rules of the cycle lane or road. No sympathy for the bad ones who seem to be an increasing majority.
capableweb 4y ago
> I honestly don't even know what subset of automotive rules apply to e-bikes Same as any other bike. Go in the bike-lane and if there is none, go on the road meant for vehicles. Yes, bikes need to follow signs for one way streets. If you have to travel on sidewalks, jump of your bike and lead it until you get to a proper road. Yes, if you're on a bike, you need to follow traffic lights.
bilegeek 4y ago
At least in the US, they are to be treated as any other vehicle on the road, and are supposed to follow the same rules. Aside from restrictions on highways and freeways because of slowness, there is no "subset".
- danhor 4y ago
  That's not accurate and depends on the state. For example the Idaho stop allows bikes to (mostly) ignore stop signs, and sometimes even treat red lights as stop signs.
  - bilegeek 4y ago
    Huh, TIL.
solar-ice 4y ago
In Germany, your e-scooter needs to be insured, and definitely have to follow traffic laws when on the road, can be ridden on bike paths and lanes, and cannot be ridden on pavements. It's pretty simple. The problem is e-scooter retailers have no interest in teaching people how to use the things they sell.
danhor 4y ago
At least in germany, E-Bikes are easy. They're the same as bikes. They can be used anywhere except for sidewalks/pedestrianized areas without explicit "Fahrrad Frei" signs, Autobahns and roads with bike ways adjacent to them with a bikeway sign. They follow normal (car) traffic lights, except for when there are traffic lights with bikes. One Way streets are only allowed if there is a "Fahrrad Frei" sign. E-Scooters are much more complicated. They have to use bikelanes (even if their usage is not required for bikes) and can't use "Fahrrad Frei" sidewalks, but can use "Fahrrad Frei" one-way streets. They're also not allowed to use ways blocked for motorized traffic, which is usually another way in germany to declare mixed use pedestrian/cycle streets. There are also a few other exceptions, which are even more complex. If you just pretend to be a bike, there are few to no issues with other people and even police [1]. [1]: Except for large, pedestrianized areas allowed for bikes, where police are sometimes on the lookout for E-Scooter users, due to the bad experiences with rentals.

rob_c 4y ago

The biggest problem is lack of policing. And then frankly that people know this so act like cowboys. The arguments against a bike lisence are the same as "big govt can't make me wear seatbelt for my safety" bad arguments shouted be people who know they're wrong and get backed into a corner. Unfortunately on this issue they shout so loud that people listen ...

ndsipa_pomu 4y ago
The arguments against bike licensing/registration/insurance etc. is that the cost to implement and run the scheme is orders of magnitude greater than the purported benefits. Here in the UK, some house/contents insurance includes cycle liability insurance as the number of claims is negligible and it costs the company very little (not so much cycle theft insurance). The other oft-forgotten aspect of cycling is that in places with social healthcare, the health benefits from cycling will save money, so it can actually save the state money to introduce free cycle liability insurance if it increases the numbers cycling.
- rob_c 4y ago
  And another day where I nearly get hit buy 2 cyclists walking home choosing not to obey rules of the cycle lane or road. No sympathy for the bad ones who seem to be an increasing majority.

capableweb 4y ago

> I honestly don't even know what subset of automotive rules apply to e-bikes Same as any other bike. Go in the bike-lane and if there is none, go on the road meant for vehicles. Yes, bikes need to follow signs for one way streets. If you have to travel on sidewalks, jump of your bike and lead it until you get to a proper road. Yes, if you're on a bike, you need to follow traffic lights.

bilegeek 4y ago

At least in the US, they are to be treated as any other vehicle on the road, and are supposed to follow the same rules. Aside from restrictions on highways and freeways because of slowness, there is no "subset".

danhor 4y ago
That's not accurate and depends on the state. For example the Idaho stop allows bikes to (mostly) ignore stop signs, and sometimes even treat red lights as stop signs.
- bilegeek 4y ago
  Huh, TIL.

solar-ice 4y ago

In Germany, your e-scooter needs to be insured, and definitely have to follow traffic laws when on the road, can be ridden on bike paths and lanes, and cannot be ridden on pavements. It's pretty simple. The problem is e-scooter retailers have no interest in teaching people how to use the things they sell.

danhor 4y ago

At least in germany, E-Bikes are easy. They're the same as bikes. They can be used anywhere except for sidewalks/pedestrianized areas without explicit "Fahrrad Frei" signs, Autobahns and roads with bike ways adjacent to them with a bikeway sign. They follow normal (car) traffic lights, except for when there are traffic lights with bikes. One Way streets are only allowed if there is a "Fahrrad Frei" sign. E-Scooters are much more complicated. They have to use bikelanes (even if their usage is not required for bikes) and can't use "Fahrrad Frei" sidewalks, but can use "Fahrrad Frei" one-way streets. They're also not allowed to use ways blocked for motorized traffic, which is usually another way in germany to declare mixed use pedestrian/cycle streets. There are also a few other exceptions, which are even more complex. If you just pretend to be a bike, there are few to no issues with other people and even police [1]. [1]: Except for large, pedestrianized areas allowed for bikes, where police are sometimes on the lookout for E-Scooter users, due to the bad experiences with rentals.