As a new electric scooter user - it does go about 32kms at the fastest use on a flat road. We have to still obey all the rules of the road and we stay at the curbside just as a normal bike does. What is funny is that many pedal-cycles pass me when i am using my electric scooter. Full Vespa gas/electric scooters also go flying past me as well. Funny thing is too that we the electric scooter people use full helmets for safety on the roads - yet 75% of the pedal-pushers do not and laugh when you mention this NECESSARY safety equipment. As well as the scooter has turn signals and full lights - yet many pedal-pushers never signal and even at night do not have lights or proper reflectors on them.

I would love to buy a Vespa gas/electric scooter - but with the full cost of a proper one - the many degrees of the licensing program and the cost of a $500 course to get my final license - well it was not possible for us to do it - we wanted an alternative that did not hurt the environment and that is what an electric scooter is made to do! The insurance is also $500 a year for the simple Vespa. It is just out of the reach of a person who normally takes the TTC.

Its environmentally friendly and is a basic mode of transportation. It only costs us about $80 a month to buy it on a 2-year installment plan too - so its financially viable. Our TTC pass was $110/month.

If we had better transit options - I would not have adopted my electric "Raptor" scooter - but a 3 transfer ride to and from work in overcrowded long waits made it necessary to look for a change. It was taking me up to 1.5 hours one way. but with the scooter riding at 25kms/hour it takes me only 1/2 hour.

Respect on the road is necessary for everyone. If we all follow the rules everyone can share the road! It's unfortunate that so many people just cannot do this in Toronto.

And I fully agree that the government should have proper roadways for the bikes and scooters. Asia has had them for years and look how well it works! The sooner that this takes place the better. I already know 5 more people that are now going to buy an electric scooter as they can no longer afford the gas for their cars.

SAFE RIDING EVERYONE!!!

Hi I've used power-assist scooters in Toronto for over 10,000km. Summer and winters.

Yes, Ontario is being flooded by lousy "electric bike" designs. Dealers are jumping into the e-bike business for the profit and are happy to sell these vehicles to ignorant Canadians.

Statements such as "...heavy people cannot ride the bicycle types because they won't go as far or it's too dangerous because when they go uphill, it doesn't have the power" are NONSENSE.

The TRUTH is, given a limit on motor power levels, the lighter the vehicle and rider the better the performance (acceleration, hill climbing, distance on one charge.)

The scooter-style "e-bike" Toronto is seeing are just gas-style vehicles that have been remodeled to shoehorn them into flawed legislation.

After 100 years most people accept the pedal bike as a great part of our transportation mix.

There ARE electric bike designs "out there" that weigh about the same as a pedal bike and handle like a bike and travel at similar speeds. And they are designed as true hybrids being easy and comfortable to pedal.

They are a completely difference experience than the bloated "hybrid" scooters with pedals that function like a human appendix.

The goal with personal electric vehicles is to design vehicles that mix safely with pedestrians and not so much to mix with the 20th-century motorized carriage.

Any technology that gets people out of four wheels and on to two wheels makes the streets safer for all of us.

Everyone that supports the pedal bicycle must support personal electrics as inexpensive tech for transport that does not leak out of gaskets and tailpipes, are extremely energy efficient and will never roll over and crush you or someone you love.

Like many technologies, electrics are simply being poorly introduced.

TORONTO! Inform yourselves! Don't be ignorant consumers!

Thanks! Lock Hughes human-electric hybrid pedestrian Toronto

"Right now you see one or two of them [in parks], but if you start seeing 30 or 40 in a short stretch every weekend, that's a lot of real estate you're losing."

Actually that is a lot of real estate that Toronto is gaining. You don't need a paved parking space for electrics. They are happy parking on the grass like any bicycle.

To this day Toronto Parks maintains acres of parkland paved as free parking designed to encourage people to drive their motorized carriages through the city and into our parks.

In the winters these parking lots are often plowed before trails are cleared.

If everyone travelled our parks on two wheels all that asphalt (parking lots) could be torn up.

Toronto parklands make up 1/8 of the City land area, and using them as barriers to travel by personal electrics flies in the face of environmental concerns expressed by Canadians.

Tks Lock human-electric hybrid pedestrian Toronto

"Why not throw Segways into the mix, then? They have a maximum speed of 20 km/h, and Councillor Bill Saundercook, who couldn't get the city to allow the things on sidewalks, thinks it might be time to give them a shot in bike lanes." . . Because Segways are a wonderful piece of technology but ultimately way over-engineered, overpriced and a bit silly. . They are not hybrids for example - no option for exercise. . This is asking the wrong question.

When Transport Canada tested the Segway, they also tested the smallest electric scooters. They have similar characteristics to the Segway in terms of speeds and distances, and handle just like pedal bicycles. And they sell for a small fraction of the Segway prices.

Of course, Transport Canada tested scooters that were the cheapest and most poorly designed and constructed of their breed...

Their tests showed them to operate very much like pedal bicycles in terms of safety and handling.

Transport Canada and Segway and a lot of people would rather not talk about this study (TC Study number TP 14285E) but it can still be found by searching the TC web site. tks Lock Toronto

ps...Saundercook appears a fool. Completely blind to the larger world of personal electrics and has bought the Segway hype.

"The province envisions e-bikes as regular-looking bicycles with han­dlebars and pedals. They should be "propelled primarily by muscular power." The attached electric motor should not exceed 500W power output so that the bike can't travel faster than 32 km/h." . . Not quite true. When Transport Canada created their e-bike definition, Ontario came up with their own different definition.

While the Feds set a power limit and electric-only, MTO in their infinite wisdom said that both electric AND gas assist are OK (STUPID), and NO POWER LIMIT but a limit only on TOP SPEED (SMART.)

(Power limits just penalize people who are large or who live in hilly or windy areas.)

Ontario came up with their definition only so they had a LABEL for something so they could BAN IT.

When they finally "woke up" (they are still pretty sleepy) and kicked off the "pilot" project, Ontario threw out their definition and have used the Federal definition instead.

500 Watts is a reasonable amount of power for a (light weight, well designed) hybrid bike. Better at least than the EU limit at 250W. But still limiting compared to our American cousins where 750W (ONE HORSEPOWER) is the Federal limit.

WHEN WILL OUR GOVERNMENTS SET POWER LIMITS FOR THE 20TH-CENTURY AUTOMOBILE? Tks Lock human-electric hybrid pedestrian Toronto

"...they're causing confusion on the roads because there are as yet no clear rules for them." . . . Actually, yes, there ARE CLEAR RULES, it is just that people don't know what these rules are. . Very simply they are *bicycles* under the law. Tks Lock

"It doesn't help bike activists concerned about safety that scooters can be modified to exceed the 32-km/h limit with some capacitor fiddling or a battery swap" . . Silly argument of course because many people can pedal bicycles faster than this or reach these speeds down many hills. Tks Lock

"I imagine they're not as manoeuvrable [as bicycles], with their smaller wheels." . . . This is silly of course because many people today ride pedal bikes with smaller diameter wheels. The shorter overall vehicle length makes them more practical for handling in urban environments. Tks Lock

"...and leave bike lanes for pedal-powered rides." . . This is nonsense of course. Any small vehicle that is lightweight and travels at bicycle speeds and handles like a bicycle and operates quietly then it should be welcomed with open arms if it encourages more people to get out of four wheels.

What we NEED are MORE BIKE LANES. The more that people take to two wheels, the greater the political pressure for change. Tks Lock

ps...Very disappointing to read an article like this in NOW. It really is the blind leading the blind.

"What we NEED are MORE BIKE LANES"

Correction - what we NEED are fewer CARS. The roads in Toronto are fantastic but they are infested with impaired amateur operators driving heavy equipment. tks Lock

Thanks for reading :) Hope you have a long and sunny summer inless you are a gardener L

I own two ebikes. One is a Veloteq scooter-style ebike. I use it for transport in Toronto and almost always take the lane and use it regular traffic and not the bicycle lanes. The exception is if traffic is congested.

The other is a Schwinn bicycle-style ebike. I use it on the GO train since it is light enough to lift up onto the train.

The Ontario power limit is foolish since it is unenforcable. One thing I learned in the Army is "never give an order you can't enforce."

The Veloteq in the USA is sold with a 750 watt motor. I know so many people that have replaced the 500 watt motor with a 750 watt one. How is the government ever going to detect this?

Speed limits can be enforced. Power limits cannot and should not exist.

As a pedaling cyclist, I welcome e-bikes to join us. Anything to get people out of cars is good, this should speed up the bike lane infrastructure we sorely need. They are roughly the same size, same speed and as quiet as we are, criticizing them for not contributing to fitness is irrelevant to the situation. As for segways, why not? They are the roughly the width of your shoulders or handlebars - same as any cyclist. Just keep them off sidewalks.

What we need most is 1)to get people out of cars, and 2) to educate both cyclists and motorists about the rules of the road concerning bicycles. As a year-round cyclist, I am often bemused, if not frustrated, by the number of 'newer' cyclists who don't follow road rules, and behave unpredictably; they create dangerous situations, give cyclists a bad name, and just foster motorists' anti-cyclist sentiments. They even make cyclists like me dislike cyclists.

And don't get me started about motorists who disregard bicycle rights.

If we're serious about making cycling part of our culture, we should make it mandatory to include bicycle rules in driver training, and incorporate cycling/cycling safety into our school phys.ed programs.

As a year-round cycling-commuter, I welcome e-bikes on the road. They are far better than cars and trucks. However, it is clear from my experiences, that those who are using e-bikes want to straddle the line between motorist and cyclist; enjoy all the cost-saving a cyclist experiences without the work (and sweat). I can't help but conclude that e-bikers, for the most part, are lazy, even though many of the e-bikers I've seen appear to rather need the physical exercise a bicycle would have provided them with. While their vehicle is environmentally practical and a terrific choice for those who may be permanently physically challenged, they are not bicycles, thus they do not belong in bike lanes. The City of Toronto website clearly defines bike lanes as being solely for bicycles, not joggers, roller-blades, skateboards, electric medical scooters and wheelchairs or power-assisted bicycles; bicycles and only bicycles; not courier trucks, taxi's and motorists who want a convenient drop-off/pick-up lane or a safe place to make cell-phone calls: bicycles. It is that simple. That is why they are called bike lanes and feature the symbol of a bicycle. Otherwise they'd be called Multi-use paths (MUP's). While e-bikes can be used as a regular bicycle, the vast majority of e-bikers that I see in bike lanes are using their motor. Heck, they even use the motor when going downhill. Sorry, but that makes the e-bike a scooter wannabe and if e-bikers want to run at 32km/h, a speed many cyclists don't or can't attain, then they need to join the rest of the motoring traffic. Until the city widens bike lanes and allows other vehicles to use a widened MUP, e-bikes have no business in bike lanes. Oh, and on an unrelated side-issue, scooters like Vespas are also NOT permitted to use bicycle ring-posts to lock-up to. Those two are for the exclusive use of cyclists.

As a year-round cycling-commuter, I welcome e-bikes on the road. They are far better than cars and trucks. However, it is clear from my experiences, that those who are using e-bikes want to straddle the line between motorist and cyclist; enjoy all the cost-saving a cyclist experiences without the work (and sweat). I can't help but conclude that e-bikers, for the most part, are lazy, even though many of the e-bikers I've seen appear to rather need the physical exercise a bicycle would have provided them with. While their vehicle is environmentally practical and a terrific choice for those who may be permanently physically challenged, they are not bicycles, thus they do not belong in bike lanes. The City of Toronto website clearly defines bike lanes as being solely for bicycles, not joggers, roller-blades, skateboards, electric medical scooters and wheelchairs or power-assisted bicycles; bicycles and only bicycles; not courier trucks, taxi's and motorists who want a convenient drop-off/pick-up lane or a safe place to make cell-phone calls: bicycles. It is that simple. That is why they are called bike lanes and feature the symbol of a bicycle. Otherwise they'd be called Multi-use paths (MUP's). While e-bikes can be used as a regular bicycle, the vast majority of e-bikers that I see in bike lanes are using their motor. Heck, they even use the motor when going downhill. Sorry, but that makes the e-bike a scooter wannabe and if e-bikers want to run at 32km/h, a speed many cyclists don't or can't attain, then they need to join the rest of the motoring traffic. Until the city widens bike lanes and allows other vehicles to use a widened MUP, e-bikes have no business in bike lanes. Oh, and on an unrelated side-issue, scooters like Vespas are also NOT permitted to use bicycle ring-posts to lock-up to. Those two are for the exclusive use of cyclists.

Thank you Joe Lafortune for that succinct letter!! Ditto on all accounts. I am a year round cyclist, and have been for over a decade all across this fine country. I was cut off by a silent e-bike a few weeks ago, while turning left properly, from Augusta to the bike lane on College. She cut me off inside my turning arc and almost hit me! I caught up to her to tell her she shouldn't do that, vehicles don't pass on the inside, and cut others off like that. Her response was rude and irrelevant. "We are not vehicles!" she shrilled. (I'm sorry I thought we all were; cyclists are non-motorized, human powered.. -and you lady.. have a MOTOR!) She continued: "..and you don't even wear a helmet so you don't even care about your life!" ( I'm riding my BMX home- on a bike lane- for a few blocks without my helmet that day.) I inform her of my lengthy experience (15 years) on the road on and that there are certain rules to be followed for the safety of all cyclists. If she wants to ride with us, she should learn them. She hisses back "Oh, so that makes you an expert?" Well yeah, kind of Lady.

I was all for these e-bikes before, being greener and all, less cars on the road etc..and now the site of them just miffs me. Many of them have never ridden a bike (and as stated above it would be good for them really!) and have no clue how to ride around others. The weight of the e-bike is quite a bit more than a regular bike, add motorized momentum to that and oblivious drivers to the mix.. and you have a cocktail for 'accidents' that will harm a vulnerable cyclist on their smaller, higher center of gravity bikes. I really thought it was rude when I passed her, on the left along the bike lane and she called out sarcastically, "I thought you weren't supposed to pass!!" Holy sh*t Lady. You're going slower than me, we're on a straight-away, and I'm passing on the outside, like you're supposed to!! I knew I had to just keep going, or I was going to have to show her how useless her little helmet was to a bike lock being tossed in the general direction of her smug face.

Yes e-bikes are better than cars. But let them in the car lanes, not the spaces used for recreation and pedal powered transportation. This should be pretty obvious, no?

.. and to LOCK HUGHES...Not so SIMPLE buddy. 1) They are NOT bicycles, no matter what the Ontario definition says. I've never seen an e-biker pedal these things and the pedals are useless hazards anyway. Most have the pedals taken off, with no intention of using them.

2) E-bikes may go slower than SOME cyclists, but please remember that the weight comparison is quite different! A 115 pound e-bike, has much more MOMENTUM with a speed to weight ratio than a bike with the weight of, say 24 pounds... so yeah they can actually "crush someone you love".

I do agree with many of your other points though, and yes too many shoddy e-bikes are being sold without education or information on the rules of the road. I for one think they can stay on the road though. (Seems many have a motorists mentality anyway.) They can make their presence known there, among the cars they are hopefully replacing, not among the cyclists who have fought long and hard for their rights to bike lanes.

KUDOS PAUL for a great article!!!

ALSO:

It appears the only reason these e-bikers are on these things is NOT OUT OF CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT OUT OF FINANCIAL NECESSITY! They are 'forced' to ride becasue they can no longer afford to feed their gas guzzling vehicle. For those of us who have been aware, concerned and CONSCIOUS for these past few decades, it's kinda hard to swallow that these MOTORISTS are taking over our cycling spaces under the guise of an E-BIKE!!

I wonder.. if the gas prices went down how fast would they crawl back in to their dusty SUV and head back out to the road again, sending their crappy e-bike off to a landfill??

"ALSO: It appears the only reason these e-bikers are on these things is NOT OUT OF CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT OUT OF FINANCIAL NECESSITY! They are 'forced' to ride becasue they can no longer afford to feed their gas guzzling vehicle"

The same could be said for a cyclist. Who cares why they are riding one...The biggest knockers of e-bikes I find are cyclists themselves. Why do cyclists think they own the road and only their intentions are pure. I do not own an e-bike but much prefer them on the road than a cyclist that is all over the road... zig zagging in and out of traffic. If they were noisy you would complain about the noise, but instead you complain that they are silent...What a cult you cyclists are....I drive a car because I have to, e-bikers probably because they want to...why do you people have a problem sharing the road.

I love my Veloteq E-Bike and my wife Loves her Daymak...I do not ride crazy, I do not cut people off, I do not impede traffic, nor do I seem to upset other cyclists.I live in Whitby Ontario and know about a half a dozen people who do not experience problems with other motorists or pedestrians or other cyclists. All the negativity seems to be on the forums, not in real life. I have been riding now for over a year people seem to love my bike as much as myself...I find the forums just bring out the negativity in people.

I thought the intent of the program was to get people out of their cars...What is wrong with the scooter style. I would NOT choose an open frame e-bike over my car for short commutes. I find the scooter style more comfortable and more visible on the road. To say no expected the scooter style to get in the way, obviously have lead a very sheltered life over the last few years, since they are so prominent around the world, not to mention British Columbia for 5 years.To own one is to love one. While I care about the environment... I purchased one because I thought "what a fun way to go to work" and it is. I find it to be a great mode of transportation and a very relaxing trip. If it bothers certain people, all i can say is "it sucks to be them"

Just moved back from out west and I am shocked to hear all this commotion over a bike. We have had e-bikes for years and they are a common part of our travel options. (both styles) Wow! It is just a bike with a battery guys.....There are bigger issues in the world and at least these are not contributing to the problems. Why are residents so afraid of this e-bike? I don't get it! I don't even know why it is a 3 year pilot program here? What is going on out here?

I have to agree with Sherry - as i am from the West too a few years back. Even in Europe&Asia the E-Bike/scooter style for many years and they have no issues with them sharing the bike lane. It seems to me that cyclists need to get off their high horses and learn to share the road. We don't ride the sidewalks - and most of us our experienced cyclists as well as e-bike users. I love my e-bike and recommend it to everyone thinking of not using their cars and need a safe quiet environmental way of getting in and around the city. One thing about using the e-bike as well - you don't arrive at work sticky and hot as you do when you cycle to work.

I wish I could afford an e-bike. I had the use of one for a week and loved it! With the higher visibility, lights, turning signals, etc. I felt safer taking it downtown than my standard pedal-bike. It also enabled me to carry heavy photography gear that I can't manage on my old bike. So sue me for not being as fit and strong as you think I should be! At least I don't own or drive a car.

I can't believe the venom being spouted here. This quiet, non-polluting technology should be embraced.

As a cyclist, I have no problem with e-bikes of any style. I have more of a problem with negativity and not giving something new a chance. I have crossed paths with e-bikers on my journey to work and have experienced no problems. While I do not desire to own won, I certainly am not offended by them. It is a big sandbox we live in. Let's play nicely with each other.

Cyclists should welcome eBikes, even if some users are rude or stupid. They're better for the environment than cars, and the more bikes and eBikes contending for the roadway, the more facilities governments will provide, and the fewer cars there will be!

As for rules, it's obvious. Follow the Highway Traffic Act.

As for changes, I'd welcome a few: - reduce the motor to 250 watts. Even Lance Armstrong can only maintain 400 watts in a time trial. - limit the eBike weight to 20 kilograms. We don't need hard 50 kilo bikes running into soft bodies.

-tOM

If you are using an eBike and hardly pedaling, I suggest you get a motorcycle helmet. You don't need the ventilation of a bike helmet, and the extra protection of a motorcycle helmet may save your life. Lock the straps with your bike so you don't have to always carry it.

-tOM

@ Tom, i did use a motorcycle helmet, i loved my ebike up to the day it was destroyed by kids in highschool with baseball bats. I am now pissed that repairs to the ebike cost more than a new ebike. Plus these ebikes are cheap and don't run in the winter as good as they should be for hardcore commuters like me that need to commute 24/7 in all seasons. Anyways, if ebikes do stay in Ontario, i'll be modding it just like how people mod cars, lowering it, swapping to a bigger powerful engine etc. Teenagers ftw. No im not lazy, i have a trek portland, a dodge caravan and a former ebike (scooter style ones) and I have a GM2 licence and im only 18, got my ebike when i was 17. rawr

I have been riding bicycles since I was 4yrs old. I am now kicking 44. In all this time I have (proudly) never had a driver's license, and have no intention of being made to be yet another sucker on the gasoline straw. what I have noticed, especially over the past ten yrs or so, is that auto(trucks too) are doing less of what they're supposed to be doing, concentrating on where they're going, instead of where they've been. Along with not using their turn signals. Let me say it now. Peoples, do you know what that little stick on the left side of your steering wheel is for? Some do. Most do not. Well let me kindly remind you. ITS CALLED A TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR. It is NOT a conceptual design. They are supposed to be used(by law). Why are there so many accidents involving autos and cyclists? Because the auto driver is not letting everyone else know where they are going to go. They're also too wrapped up with their cell phones glued to their ears, and looking everywhere else except where they're supposed to be going. For e-bikes 2 yrs ago I bought a brushless conversion kit for my mountain bike, and have ZERO complaints about it. In a previous(above) posing someone mentioned that their e-bike weighs 115lbs. how many battery packs do you have on it to make your bike weigh that much ?? My bike is a tad on the heavy side from the factory. even with the 14lb motor in the front wheel, and, the 30lbs of batterys, my bike does not come even close to weighing 115lbs. I think you should have your weigh scales checked. I have heard recently that pedestrians are complaining that they cannot hear and e-bike. This is mostly nonsense!!!(and a few other choice words) most bikes have a mechanism called a derailleur for changing gears when pedaling. If you have noticed, inside the gear cluster, there is a little thing that makes a clicking sound when the wheel is turned. This on most bikes make enough noise to wake the dead. That is, of course the said pedestrian has their headphone on and the volume turned to eleven. No wonder they can't hear you. For riding any bike on the sidewalk, yeah, it's not a good idea, unless you don't have any choice and alter one's driving habit to accommodate the ped traffic. Now just recently our PTB's have banned all e-bikes on our bike pathways. Why have they done this? Because they have been completely misinformed. They also tested the cheapest bikes they could find. For having lights on one's bike, regardless if it's pedal only or has e-assist is a smart choice. To combat my previous comment about turning signals, I have designed my own headlight and turning signals for my bike. To which can be clearly see any time of the day or night.

I'll sum up by saying: people just open your eyes and take off the headphones and pay attention to where you are going then these accidental issues will be solved.

L8R Rob Ottawa Canada

I have a 28kg e-bike and I also enjoy it immensely. I do have a great respect for the endurance and strength of cyclists who can cycle so far. I also do have a great love for cycling but I live in a very hilly area. I could not enjoy cycling in my area without the assistance of an electric bike. I get past the hills using assist and pedal only on the flat areas. If everyone is respectful and careful I hope that we can all enjoy the lanes and parks together. A bicycle can easily be as dangerous as an e-bike. The mass of the rider is usually the most significant part of the overall weight of the bike/rider combination.

Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to enjoy the parks and scenery in my opinion.

I have a 28kg e-bike and I also enjoy it immensely. I do have a great respect for the endurance and strength of cyclists who can cycle so far. I also do have a great love for cycling but I live in a very hilly area. I could not enjoy cycling in my area without the assistance of an electric bike. I get past the hills using assist and pedal only on the flat areas. If everyone is respectful and careful I hope that we can all enjoy the lanes and parks together. A bicycle can easily be as dangerous as an e-bike. The mass of the rider is usually the most significant part of the overall weight of the bike/rider combination.

Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to enjoy the parks and scenery in my opinion.

The only people complaining about e-bike are 1) Gas companies as they don't get a profit 2) Car/motocycle companies as they don't get a profit 3) BIG OIL they don't get a profit and it start us on that slippery slope to oil addiction recovery. 4) Arrogant Car owners that think THEY OWN the roads. Sorry roads were first paved because of strider style bicycles. Everyone has the right to use the roads. 5) Dept of Transport bureaucrats who no longer get to slam us with FEES FEES FEES.

Let us look at these o so horrid e-scooters. They are nothing more than 2 wheels a steel frame, electric motor, battery and plastic fairing. O the horrors!

They are safer than a regular bike (YES SAFER) because they have lights signals etc.. but most importantly CARS treat them with more respect!! Instead of fearing for my left elbow being torn off by a speeding car, I'm now safer becasue they slow down and give me a wider berth when they pass me. I hit something and the only damage is likely to be to me and my bike, a car hits something and people die.

The law as written is stupid (thanks to those car company execs who sat on the board and wote up the regs). Who CARES what the power limit on the motor is!?!?!? It's the max speed that is important!! The power limit just lets you get up to speed faster and climb hills without slowing down to a crawl. Remember that little motor is lugging the weight of rider, bike AND HEAVY LEAD ACID batteries up that thar hill. Restricting the motor strength had one objective - - make e-bikes unattractive and unusable.

Oh yes when are the Dept. of Safety/Transport going to be passing those laws restricting regular pedal bicycles down to a safe speed of 32 Kph??? Another law designed to make e-bikes unattractive.

I sell e-bikes and (SURPRISE!) my largest purchasing segment are SENIORS who are rediscovering the joys of cycling. The second largest group are people who are afraid to drive cars/ motorcycles and people with disabilities-asthma.

Here is an idea, reduce the traffic speeds on city roads to 40 KM/hr and bump the e-bike speed limit up to 40 Km/hr. Safer roads and better traffic flow. YES it's time to ban those evil 4 wheel, polluting, lead foot, killing machines!

Look at reality! Why don't more Canadians drive regular bikes as a means of transport? 1) Too slow. 2) People don't want to arrive at work sweaty. 3) Cars don't respect(read as try to kill) them on the road. 4) Too much effort involved in hilly areas or longer commutes.

Ebikes are here to stay regardless of what the laws say. There's stuff in the piplines that will make an ebike undetectable from a regular bike. Even right now it is possible to build an electric bike so that you can't tell that its got a motor, batter or a controller. So what are you going to do, get excited every time someone passes you that isn't sweating? Debate all you want, I'm not giving up my ebike any time soon.

Another segment that has a lot to lose -- high end bike stores that cater to the lycra crowd. You guys will have a harder time selling high end components and 5k+ bikes to people when I can walk into Canadian tire, buy an average bike, slap a $300 motor, $150 controller and a few 100.00 batteries of ebay and go comfortably faster than anything else you offer in the store.

2)A 115 pound e-bike, has much more MOMENTUM with a speed to weight ratio than a bike with the weight of, say 24 pounds... so yeah they can actually "crush someone you love". . . . I see lots of ppl on pedal bikes where rider weighs 200lbs or more. Add panniers w/groceries... Heavy! Clearly these large bike riders should be banned! ;-> tks Lock

Ok.. so where do these e-bikers go to get their e-bikes maintained? Who's going to change tires and such? Canadian Tire? Not likely, they won't even change a tire on the bikes they sell, much less fix a derailleur, true a wheel or adjust a seatpost. I'm not against E-bikes on the road, as long as the riders have some experience, and yes there are a lot of lame cyclists with no sense on two wheels, as well as drunk drivers... I guess, I wish we could all be considerate, look out for others and be conscious of folks that exist beyond the periphery of one's own little world. My position is one of acceptance, with a little education, damned common sense and some decent courtesy. I do think anything that gets drivers off the road is AWESOME, but please!!! Ride with Awareness for others!

Hello, I am located in CANADA and have a small repair shop here where I repair to board level the motor controllers associated with electric wheelchairs, scooter and e-bikes. If you need any out of warranty repairs done to any of yours or your customers controller units please don't hesitate to contact me. I have MSN Messenger Live and email as well. Thanks for your time.

David C. Boyce Electronic Engineering Technician

Forgot to post my email for all replies. ebikerepairs@gmail.com

Hello, I am located in CANADA and have a small repair shop here where I repair to board level the motor controllers associated with electric wheelchairs, scooter and e-bikes. If you need any out of warranty repairs done to any of yours or your customers controller units please don't hesitate to contact me. I have MSN Messenger Live and email as well. Thanks for your time.

David C. Boyce Electronic Engineering Technician

First off, the author Paul Terefenko, sets up a very ugly anti-e-bike cause just with his secondary headline "Effin' e-scooters clogging up bike lanes, and here comes the Segway". Way to have a bias there. The article itself though is a little less nasty.

Here's how I see things. I bought a Mountaineer from Vince at Blue Avenue...I was worried the day I bought it that this project that allows for these scooters, and ends in October 2009, would end up being killed after that date. I still have that fear.

If that does happen it will be a shame. Yes, I have seen a few e-bikers act like jackasses, but they are the same in statistical proportion to cyclists on sidewalks without helmets and cars making illegal u-turns and cutting off pedestrians in crosswalks. Give an idiot a vehicle of any wheel count and power structure and s/he is still an idiot.

Like so many other e-bikers who posted here, I signal (despite the annoying beeping sound mine makes), I have not fiddled with the power to make it faster...and I even give a little signal sound when I happen to pass a cyclist.

I have put up with some cranky cyclists, some police who were not clear on the project at the time, and for the most part as awareness comes around people have been much better.

The e-bike is a step towards cleaner transportation, less cars on the road and personally I would love it if the bike lanes were simply widened to allow for anything other than gas vehicles...Segways, E-Bikes, hell I have seen rollerbladers in them and I don't run up to them and chastise them for being in the lane...better them than a car.

As for my own car it has been rarely been used this year save for trips and anything that required more moving than I could pull off on my bike.

So after all this blah, blah, blah, me, me, me, what I am saying is it would be a damn shame to let something like these e-bikes disappear and it is sad that the cyclists don't embrace them and use them as part of the argument to expand bike lanes rather than find yet another target for whining.

Recently I started riding my electric bicycle over a distance of 16-20 Km to work mainly for health reasons. Taking the regular bicycle in my out-of-shape condition is simply too much. All I needed is help for inclines. I got a lot of energy from the workout without much sweat or extra time. The 400W motor shuts itself off past 32 Km/hr and only adds a few Km on flats.

I believe that Transport Canada and the Pilot project of Ontario made a mistake in their definition of what is an e-bike. The word bike as we all know could mean a bicycle or a motorcycle. They should not have used that word loosely hence we have this debate.

Recently, I visted an "e-bike" store in Vancouver to find out that the ackward feeling of stepping on the pedals of a e-scooter. Those pedals could be anywhere just to make it legal. There was no intention of riding with them from the design or lack of design. Those e-scooters were power-replacing vehicles rather than power-assist vehicles.

The message of the article did not make clear enough that one could not tell apart an electric scooter from gas scooters so they are treated like gas scooters by pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. That would be the reason why drivers "repect" them more and less by other cyclists. One difference is that gas scooters have to be accountable on the road by having a plate. What people should worry about is that e-scooters, with their higher potential danger than bicycles and e-bicycles from their weight, could flee an accident without any recourse and with less effort. To counter Lock's comment about heavy bikes with panniers, if they are that heavy, they won't travel at 32 Km/hr unless they are going downhill which is another argument.

Please let's not compare ourselves to China. If you've been there, you'll know that they don't have traffic lights so pedestrians are in the bottom. Many motorists simply operate without a license plate. If a pedestrian were hit, they made sure he/she were dead. Don't ask me why there were no criminal charges laid. That's human rights for you and that's why I am a proud Canadian citizen.

There are a lot of great views in all your posts. I have been riding my Norco bicycle with a motor kit on it for just over a year now. I have traveled over 3100kms since it was converted. The bike is 3 years old (I bought it new). I am 64 years old, and it became too much physically for me to ride the bike without the e-motor. I have witnessed the foolish moves of cyclists on many of the bike pathways etc. As a retired professional driver (transport trucks/busses/etc) the awareness of the rules of the road of most cyclists is sadly lacking. The worst cyclists I have witnessed are the lycra's screaming along at 35-40 kph, weaving in and out of traffic, disregarding stop lights/signs, yelling at other cyclists they think are going too slow, and just don't give the right of way to other users of trails/bike lanes/paths. My e-bike with 48volts will do 44kph, which is far too fast for a bicycle frame to withstand for any length of time or distance.

I used to get behind the lycra's especially while smoking a cigarette and keeping pace with them. They constantly are looking back and I drag on the cigarette when they do. As they speed up so do I, as they slow down so do I. Most of them drop off or rather stop and I pedal past them! The bike looks just like a mountain bike and most don't get that IT'S ELECTRIC!

That game I got tired off and keep the bike to a sedate 25kph now. (it gives me better range on a charge) Just knowing I can travel 40 or 50 km on a charge gives me the all the freedom, fresh air, exercise I would otherwise miss but for the e-assist. Most cyclists only travel at around 17/20kph so I do pass a lot of bikes in my travels.

To-day I went to Dixie road and Lakeshore from downtown Toronto return. 47km. Only one idiot was encountered a woman driving with a cell phone. Luckily my defensive driving courses kicked in and I avoided being ran into by slowing down. She made a right turn without signaling or looking, right in front of me!

The point of this post is, perhaps for all you e-bikers e-scooterers and cyclists, to get you to sign up for a defensive drivers course. We are all considered as vehicles under the highway traffic act. That includes bicycles, e-bikes and e-scooters. The defensive drivers course saved me from road rash or other injuries to-day.

The alternative is to have the government legislate it. This could happen Oct 29, 2009 if too many incidents are reported to the tax hungry legislators.

Oh yes we have e-assist so we are lazy, or we lost our driver's license and all the other negative commentary I hear on a regular basis.

Ever consider that some people who use e-assist or scooters cannot ride a regular bicycle? Or that cars are prohibitively expensive for most of the disabled? Or that wheel trans is not always the solution?

Which would you prefer, more cars on the road, or something that doesn't contribute to the air you [and some of us] can't breathe? Did some of the more arrogant cyclists consider that maybe we would like the exercise too but can't manage at your level? Or would you like to keep bikes only for those wealthy enough to pay for recumbents and can peddle fast enough to enter speed contests?

I'm a careful e-triker. At 34 inches across the wheel base and 100lbs cars don't attempt to intimidate me or turn me into a door prize nearly so often because it's going to cost them. I'm not a cyclist's enemy. I was a cyclist for years.

We have a right to the road too. I considered the scooter style of e-trike and decided against it. That does not mean I can't respect someone's decision to do something *green* in another way.

The problem here isn't us. It's the lack of planning from the City of Toronto and other places to accommodate other means of transport other than gas guzzling cars.

Cyclists: Put your energy into getting this city environmentally friendly towards alternative means of transportation rather than kicking around those who are trying for the same goals you are.

As an avid bicyclist over over 4000 KM a year at first I was dead set against having e-bike share the bike lane. But one comment here convinced me otherwise. An e-bike is certainly preferable to a car. So the more people we get into e-bikes, scooter, motorcycles the better.

Also its kind of fun to pass one .

Why don't we just get rid of cars and give the roads back to the cyclists?

That way the e-bikes/vespas can have their own lane, and the bikes can have theirs....

Makes sense, non?

While I personally like your idea don't see it happening any time soon.What would be great would be to have more bike lanes that didn't have to fight traffic more barriers. More places to secure you're bike . If you live within ten to fifteen miles of work biking should be an alternative for you . If we could make it easier more people probably would.

TH>> Also its kind of fun to pass one.

(Waving hand) Pass me! Pass me!

Yah, I am on two wheels with power-assist. THRILLED to see this earlier subject/article the "most commented on" on the NOW site...

If you are a pedal power advocate then thank you especially for your understanding regarding power-assist.

Power-assist is not a "fight" against the pedal bike but instead a fight against the 20th-century motorized carriage (the "car").

In a high-density urban 21st-century the 20th-century motorized carriage piloted by amateurs(most of them disabled by age or medications, drugs and alcohol, lack of sleep and testostorone, yell phone... well, it's a long list) is just no longer appropriate transport technology.

When you strip away the air bags and seat belts and crush zones it makes vehicle operators more circumspect about their personal safety, which makes our cityscapes safer for everyone else.

When drivers are not enveloped in steel and glass and plastic and forced to communicate by honking horn and flashing light, but instead use sophisticated communications as phrases like "Good Morning" and "Excuse Me" and "Thank You" (as on two wheels) it makes for a more civilized world and lessens incidents of "road rage".

...OK, so... don't get me started, eh?

...anyway, this weeks NOW has a whole section on urban transport options, with plenty of poor research and narrow perspective, so hopefully online readers (thinkers) here will [C]omment more!

Cheers Lock Toronto

Great Post Lock! LOL It takes me 11 minutes on my e-bike to go to Longos and about 13 minutes in my truck. Considering my moving average is really only 22 km per hour ( GPS's ARE GREAT)for that short run. The faster life gets, the more I like to go slow.

Well on my E-Bike it takes me 5-10 minutes to commute to work on my E-bike, 10-15 minutes on my bicycle (plus suffer with knee and back pain for a couple of hours after) and 40-80 minutes by TTC (have to walk 4 blocks to a bus stop from home, 10-15 minute bus ride then 6 block walk to work, reverse direction after work). I have never driven an automoble. But if I still had my motorcycle it would have been faster but more expensive though and more polluting.

I've been a cyclist in T.O. for a decade, but needed to switch to an ebike last year when the company moved to the other side of the city and my commute went from a 7 minute bike ride to an hour long one. I often end up berating both cyclists and drivers for not following the rules of the road - not signaling a turn, stop, or lane change by both cars and bikes, riding/driving while talking on a cell phone, riding a bike with earphones in, skipping up on to the sidewalk to bypass cars turning right/ cars cutting off the bike lane to turn right... I could go on and on. They don't have licenses for ebikes, and I wouldn't mind one, but only if they made it part of a graduated licensing structure - Bike->Ebike->compact car/motorcycle->sedan/pickup->SUV/transport van... Make everyone learn to drive as, and understand the rights and risks of the vehicles smaller then them (and take a refresher test occasionally).

I also picked one up from Blue Avenue as well; and have ridden in VERY hard doing Dundas/Ossington to Leslie/Eglington and back everyday (about 30Km a day). Taking into consideration and the fact that the tech and engineering is still pretty new I've gotten what I paid for, but from starting out looking like a gas scooter with pedals the the flimsy plastic fairings and battery casings, 8 inch cotter pinned axle, undersized chain-ring, weak rims and spokes shattered beneath me over the past year and a half. It has slowly evolved into a hybrid downhill racer/touring bike as I replaced parts with standard bike ones (note - Bikes on Wheels on College and Sandy's Cycle at 115 Laird will do ebike rim jobs and spoke work for hub motors, haven't found anywhere else that will). As time goes by I look forward to the bike shops and customizers getting on the bandwagon and offering to work on ebikes (I wanna lowrider ebike).

Well as long as it is still a 500watt or under motor, limited to 32kmh then congratulations on the conversion. List a link to some photos, interested in seeing what it looks like. Personally I would not bought from Blue Avenue myself, but to each their own.

Ken Finch

We need to share the road, an asset that belongs to all of us. However we now have factions bent on claiming a large portion of that infrastructure exclusively for their own use. It is unfortunate that it has come to this.

The animosity and lack of tolerance directed toward a new, low-speed form of personal transportation has become quite obvious, and is directly responsible for the very vocal attempts to discredit these vehicles and place onerous restrictions, obligations, and unrealistic requirements on the e-bike and e-scooter in the name of safety. Claims of e-bikes being too quiet, or too heavy or too wide, as well as the requirement that they be able to be pedaled, is an Aryan fitness attempt, that is a burden that this new form of green transportation is subjected to no-where else in the world. Limiting where slow moving e-scooters and e-bikes can go potentially excludes the thousands of middle-aged and senior persons who would gladly leave their cars and trucks at home for all those short trips around the city, if they had an alternative that didn't burden them physically, financially or with unnecessary regulations.

This is not Amsterdam or Paris. Our roadways are often covered with snow and ice for three or more months of the year. During that time no two-wheeled vehicle is particularly safe or desirable to ride. For this reason, one size does not fit all, when it comes to choices in transportation, here or anywhere else.

The initial inaction of the Ontario Government has put us five or six years behind British Columbia and Quebec and handicapped both riders and potential investors in green transportation alternatives. The best leadership that the MTO can demonstrate now is by leveling the playing field and allowing us to catch up to the rest of the country and the world. Charged with the safe and efficient use of our infrastructure, the Ministry of Transportation should not be drawn into a debate about vehicles as a form of exercise equipment. The demographic of E-Bikes in my experience is from 40 to 75 years of age. Many, having driven cars or trucks for thirty to fifty years are well aware of the rules of the road and are law abiding. Some, like me, have health issues and are unable to partake in an extended bike ride. However they have the right and desire to participate in our goal of a cleaner greener planet. Those who feel that the parks and paths and bike lanes of this city belong only to the able-bodied need only borrow my knees for three hours, to see the light. With out my E-Bike I have to use my car.

Any attempt to burden this new form of transportation with unreasonable regulatory requirements would serve to deter its use. Many are holding back from making an investment due to the uncertainty regarding the ministry's intentions. The government could remove doubt and embrace this opportunity to get people out of their cars. It is strange that the government has seen fit to seek out information about E-Bikes from factions that are loudly against them, rather than from people that actually know the product. There are many things that could make e-biking safer and have been implemented all over the world, but you will not learn this from people that don't want them on the road in the first place. In other parts of the world these machines move huge quantities of people safely and efficiently and they are technically far ahead of us. We need a government sponsored public education campaign, on billboards, television, radio and other media, regarding the Rules of the Road. It would also be helpful if our various Police Departments would set a better example by asking their bike officers not to ride on the sidewalks.

E-Bikes have a proven safety record all over the world. They are more visible and better equipped than any bicycle. They are a clean and most efficient use of our infrastructure. It is in everyone's interest to move ahead and concentrate on safety issues for all two wheel methods of transportation without discrimination.

We all need to display a bit more tolerance and mutual respect as we travel in and around our cities. Cooperation toward a single goal, of using our infrastructure in a way that is beneficial to all, will show real citizenship.

Thanks Raptorgirl, that is exactly how I feel as well. Is your nick name because you own a Mobility Unlimited Raptor E-Bike?

You should come and join our E-Bike Group;

http://www.ebikeriders.com/

Ken Finch

The Ministry of Transportation has made a proposal about the future of e-bikes in Ontario, which you can download here: http://www.ontariocanada.com/registry/view.do?postingId=1942

Safety Myths about e-bikes of all styles are propaganda put out by cycling unions in Toronto. My favourite red herring is "they are too quiet". Both bicycles and e-bikes would be drowned out by normal street noise. The shame is that they spend anytime lobbying against e-bikes when our goal of one less car on the road is the same. I wonder what an e-biker living in Smith Falls Ontario would have to say to a Toronto Club annoyed at his alternative to a car to post an action alert on their website?

http://onteba.blogspot.com/2009/06/cities-should-embrace-e-bikes-says.html

This latest MTO "initiative" promotes recommendations by the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) from a survey of their members in 2001: http://www.ccmta.ca/english/pdf/power_assisted_cycles.pdf

This document is not supported by any research findings, just opinion and speculation.

MTO says that the CCMTA recommendations promote pedelec versus a separate accelerator. This is not correct. What the CCMTA actually said was: "The motor of a motor assisted cycle must cease to function or be disengaged when the operator stops pedaling; or when an accelerator or a motor control switch located on the handlebar is released; or when a brake or brakes are applied."

Furthermore, Transport Canada considered pedal-assist only or separate power when they first studied power-assist bikes in 2000.

Basically at first they had proposed legislation for pedal-assist only, then amended this to permit power separate after their study. Summary page here:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/innovation/tdc/summary/13700/13732e.htm

From that page: "The findings demonstrated that the two e-bike systems – electrically propelled and electrically assisted – were equally safe. Therefore, the new regulations should not include restrictions on the motor's operating apparatus. In addition, users also noted that e-bikes encourage users to obey the Highway Safety Code more strictly (for example, they are more likely to stop at mandatory stops) because the bikes' motor power makes standing starts easier. "

Tks

I propose ANY bike that is CAPABLE of speeds of 33 km per hour be licenced and insured. Scooter style e-bikes can only attain 32 km per hour, so they would be fine, but all you cyclists that go faster, licence up! (now of course I don't really believe this but it shows you how rediculous the TCU is being).

Ignore the comments by Ken Finch and his other aliases. He works for Mobility Unlimited.

E-Bikes Here I am in Ottawa. Bought my geo e-bike a few months ago. It's just great. Gets me around town quickly. I do feel guilty seeing older people cycling. This was my retirement gift. I do get dirty looks riding it mostly from pick-up trunks that I call rednecks but do have respect from motorcycle drivers. Yes I've seen e-bikes on sidewalks but also bicycles so the law is the law for everyone. We are seeing more and more e-bikes here in Ottawa and I honestly do think that the public needs education on this matter I have been stopped by police twice because no plates, RCMP told me to get off the road through his door window. Just let it be. E-bikes are here to stay so be it