Poll Question: Do you think e-bikes should be licensed?

[Bikemad]

That's because the 395 "people" who voted "yes" don't ride ebikes or scooters, so it doesn't affect them!
If you look at the survey from their selfish point of view, as far as they are concerned, they are legally required to have their cars licensed, therefore everyone else using the public highway should also be forced into having their vehicles licensed too.

Alan
 

[atcspaul]

sad people think that way. we are protecting the environment and an ebike also cause no damage to roads like cars and trucks do. ohhh well guess that is some peoples stupid mentality

[GM Canada]

There are mainly two groups of people people that are voting against Ebikes. There are the spandex bicycle riders that speed on the multi-use trails and find we are in the way when we are respecting he 20km speed limit and the car drivers that have to steer around us on the roads when they are drinking there coffee driving in to work in the morning.

Here in Mississauga Ebikes are accepted without any issues. Ebikes are already defined as bicycles nationally and provincially. so the city if mississauga accepts this definition and sees no reason for additional bylaws. We have a Mayor in Mississauga loved by all the residents. Her name is Hazel mcCallion, she has been in power for 34 years and the last several elections did not even campaign for votes. She says she is too busy running he city to waste time on that. The last half dozen or so elections she won with over 95 percent if he votes. It's an embarrassment for anyone to run against her so now people are creating phony issues to try and take her down. The people of mississauga see through that. Her common sense approach to issues is loved by all. Sadly this is her last term as she is getting quite old. Who knows what will come when she retires but she has created one of the greatest cities in the world and I am proud to live in it.

Google Hazel McCallion to read about her.

Toronto's mayors have always been a joke. The current mayor Rob Ford is currently in a scandal that claims he has been on video smoking crack. Other accusations are he is drunk in public a lot, fondles and insults woman, etc. who knows what is true but he is an embarrassment to Toronto.

Gary

[Marsbar]

Completely ridiculous to license electrical bicycles as per EU standard. 25km/t is to low, 350W is also way too low for any fun. Here in Norway we have so many hills and strong wind. To have the same rules in Denmark that is flat as a pancake, and Norway that is like a rollercoaster is complete nonsense. Here in Norway it should be 35km/h and 400W.  Can see too reason to license e-bikes, if that happens I don’t see any use of it. Then I would rather use my car and get a treadmill in my basement!

[Middles Nowhere]

I'm foreseeing the same unnecessary legislative future here in OZ if a key problem is not snuffed. So I chose to lay down an opinion here for all you power-bike peoples to ponder...

There is a problem with ridiculous behaviour when some people are granted power. Be that from tech which becomes cheaper over time or a crazy inheritance. Fools will destroy everything for the ones who can play respectively.

I'm sick of seeing chainsaw moods ripping through the streets being all loud and proud. Some electrics owners are no better, shadow passing pedestrians at like 40kmh and shiit grinning peddlers when passing. There is a huge list of bad behaviour I could add here but why?, you all know what I'm talking about. The point is bad form attracts attention which in turn equals bad PRESS!

The ones who are really passionate and serious about power mods need to lay down some strict education if this whole thing is going to work.

....that's just my view and education. 

[GM Canada]

The problem we are having in Toronto is the Cyclist Union here is over 5000 members strong and they get a lot of exposure when they stand on their soapboxes and declare we are unsafe. Meanwhile everyone here knows its the cyclists that break more rules than anyone else. Have a look at his video and please comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo_RE-yESJA

Gary

[Middles Nowhere]

I'm absolutely on the same page as you Gary and the video points out some great spectacles of really bad behaviour. As you said thou, pedal power has solid roots in lobby that has been built over a very long time. So, as E-bike riders were are going to have to deal with all this negative spam until the technology is more common place and more importantly the laws regarding E-bikes start falling into a more realistic set of rules, which unfortunately is going to take legal precedents and in turn a lot of time.

Cops, politicians and layers hate new tech especially if is something that is on a public road. The general rule is destroy what you don't understand until it is proven to be difficult to beat in a court.

So fight on all who love E-bike but don't forget your the enemy in most eyes, so beat them with kindness and seduce all the haters with impeccable form while riding your E-bike I say 

[Leslie]

If it don't break the standard lowest speed limit, which is 40 kph in our state, and average male or female can physically stop the bike from taking off the mark at WOT, then it doesn't need a license.

Some of those woppas over at ES would never qualify for on road use, Ebike are literally weapons at certain speeds.  Canada is being a bitch don't you think.  Maybe all that oil the PTV want to sell at a time during an oil boom, and the Tar sands spill, people are moving to Ebikes for alternative town travel, are trying to avert a green Ebike craze.  Shame.

Pro cyclists, turn tard, popped one too many brain vessels racing each other up a hill, fried their brains inside heads in their head insulators, for god sake, they want to train us how to peddle and think it's a joke.

If Ebikes get regulated, screw them, all bikes should be regulated.  Those Jocks ride their racers like it's a WMD.  They get to the top of the hill, all hot and dizzy, swerving all over the bike lane.  Ebike is safer than normal bikes.  The standard chain and pedal setup for a starters is laughable in the face of a good old reliable gearless ebike motor.

[Leslie]

Gary, use diversion.  Set up some solar panels, charge your bike with the sun, and make, the crowd go ohh ahh!  Tesla did similar demonstrations, Edison did too. 

Show them how you use this to run the business, how much you enjoy it, focus on the positives. Get some video of some exhausted, and disorientated riders.  Point at the dangers of rider exhaustion.  Point out how much more alert the ebike rider is cooled by the wind on a hot summer day and how we can wear safer helmets and body gear, because we do not get too hot pedaling, and require flimsy head wear for air flow. Turn up with a motor bike helmet and ask, WHO IS SAFER NOW?  Show them how much more balance an Ebike has with out peddling, show them how slow the bike can go and compete with someone peddling,
 
I bet my ebike balances and can move slower using the throttle and motor with out the rider losing control than someone peddling slowly shifting their weight. 



Then distract them to the damage oil has done and the importance that this industry is not extinguished by suspicious, and intimidatingly limiting regulations.


The ebike is sleep, demand and deliver, compared to the the alternative ICE, No heat wasted, no noise, so we are not hooning, waking up the neighbours with our monster machines.    It's totally inapropriate to regulate small to medium sized, all the reasons why we regulate motor vehicles do not apply to Ebikes what-so-ever. 

[Wombat]

Have heard a lot about the weird political decisions that have affected Canada in recent times. We in Australia are now beginning another elitist right period of stupid anti citizen arrogance too where the controllers become controlling.

To hear your government has allowed cities / municipalities to make their own (and consequently eventually many and varied) decisions about farcical ebike licensing etc shows a classic half baked attempt to avoid political responsibilities hand-balling a perceived problem satisfying a loud minority of voters over to bunches of anally retentive nongs.

Therefore, wherever anti ebike licensing / registration laws are created begin your own movement demanding legislation for consequential equality on the roads... that is IE "one lane one vehicle" and so forth. And be prepared to always ride in the middle of your side of the road. That will scare the pants off even the most uncommitted citizen when they realize the repercussions of giving power to the loud numb nut minorities.

Just be sure and ready to continue the fight for the long haul and eventually common sense will turn things around as political opportunities change.

[Stomper]

I called the SAAQ to ask about registering an electric bike as a scooter, the woman on the phone said to me where did you bough this scooter? I said I built it, she thenb said you cannot register it since you need a bills of sale to register it.

Then I said if I sell it to myself and make a bill for it it's enough she said no because I'm not a company and she said I have to go thru the normal process of registering a custom made motorcycle with crash test and engeneer test etc...

So if you want to register an e-bike you need to spend at least 10k$ on it first for the plate.

This is why you don't see many electric scooter around.

If they ask you to license it, sell your bike and buy a big pick-up from 1950 without any safety belt, because it's legal!

[GM Canada]

I have not been to this thread in quite a while. I thought I would post an update.

http://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2014/01/03/city_staff_recommend_escooters_be_allowed_in_toronto_bike_lanes.html

We are seeing a change in Toronto, the land of greed. It seems the transportation dept has realized you can't kill the Ebike so now they are recommending the same privileges we have in Mississauga. It is still a long way from becoming law. But it's getting closer.

Of course the Toronto star is not putting up a poll or allowing responses. They hate Ebikes and don't want to see any opinions different then there own.

Gary

[GM Canada]

Here is the actual recommendations by the transportation dept.

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2014.PW28.2

Gary

[Mrkrsh]

Politicians are being either pressured or gaining something from this.. Sad to say sounds like ebikers will face  touch restrictions and more regulations?  ebikes is recreational and clean energy and of all things great exercise for older people who can not ride a bike. But they could get out on an ebike and used their PAS.  People by their own natural instincts  do not like change. I believe if motorcycles become popular on electric energy instead of gasoline. It would help the public to understand and except ebikes.  Gary maybe you could personally invite an open invitation to the Toronto newspaper. From all the good things I hear about you. You could make a positive difference. 

[OCD]

I am for licensing e-bikes over 1000 watts. At least give me the chance to legally ride something over 500 watts and smaller than an all out electric motorcycle! I live in BC, Canada and contacted ICBC (provincial government insurance) and was told that anything larger than 500 watts is illegal under all circumstances and to insure it as a 'low speed motorcycle' it could only be made from Transport Canada approved motorcycle parts, what a joke. A 500 watt e-bike on 48 volts is just as fast as one on 3000 watts at 48 volts, just doesn't do as well on the hills. Why is it I can ride my manual bicycle at whatever the posted road speed is, but I am limited to 32km/h when powered? The laws are not keeping up with the technology, they are written for the 'toy' e-bikes that are generally commercially available, not the new generation of bikes like many of us build. My commuter has head/tail/brake lights, double crown front suspension fork, 8" disc brakes, 3" wide rear tire, it's already a low speed motorcycle, yes it tops out about 60km/h but I'm not going to go that fast on a busy bike/multi use trail. Afterall, your average car is capable of going well in excess of 100km/h but most of us wouldn't do that past a school. >500 watt up to 5000 watt should be insurable like a moped