Quote:
Originally Posted by Toymeister
We have laws which determine what is a motor vehicle and what is not. The Federal law for golf cart vice low speed vehicle drew the line at 20mph.
A bicycle and ebikes fall under the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They drew the line at 28mph. That has to do with hills and the physical limits of ebikes. In practice 28mph is nearly impossible for most to maintain for any sustainable distance.
California developed state laws on classes of ebikes, some capping at 20mph. The Villages is not located in California.
In a perfect world there would be no conflict as all the carts would follow the law and never exceed 20mph.
When this is solved talk to me about changing Federal law on ebikes.
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Think you are misunderstanding my thought. I don't have a problem with e-bike speeds over 20 MPH, and I actually think golf carts should be allowed to go 25 mph. 20 is too slow for the longer path stretches and as you note, many have golf carts that exceed 20 MPH. But not all.
But it raises a safety issue when you limit one vehicle's speed, but allow a higher limit for another vehicle that shares the same road. For example, when you are on a highway and see "minimum speed 45 mph" your first thought is "why would you go 45 mph when everyone else is doing 70 mph?" And then you see the guy that is, and he creates a hazard with everyone trying to pass him.
The problem is not the ebike going 25 mph. The problem is the golf carts that are being told they can't. FYI, as soon as my EV cart is out of warranty, I plan to bump the limit to 25 mph. Not so I can be a speed demon. But so I can keep up with the traffic flow, and not be a hazard with people trying to pass me at 23 mph.