[charlie1]

Would like to hear people’s opinion. I feel motorized vehicles should only be allowed on multimodal paths or on the street within The Villages. In fact, I wish the District would prohibit any MOTORIZED device that exceeds 10 MPH (this would allow disabled or handicap scooters to still use the walking and bike trails). In reality, the e-bikes and some of the scooters travel as fast or faster than most golf carts (I have been passed going 21mph in my cart by e-bikes numerous times.) The only real difference is the width of the two modes of transportation. The stability could also be an issue on an e-bike as they avoid the walkers on the narrower paths. It is dangerous to have anything traveling at higher speeds on the walking/bike trails where most people using the trail are enjoying their walk or a casual bike ride. With the explosion of e-bikes in the Villages, I feel more guidelines are necessary for the walking/bike paths. Right now, I feel it is only a matter of time before something happens. What is your opinion? What would be your recommendations for change, if any?

[Bill14564]

It has been "only a matter of time" for at least three years now.

I have never been passed by an e-bike while in my golf cart. I think there was actually one time I was behind an e-bike traveling close to 20mph. Every other time I have encountered an e-bike it has been traveling less than 17mph (the speed at which I decide to pass a slower vehicle). What area has the 23+mph e-bikes?

My opinion: Forget banning things. Treat e-bikes as bicycles (as I believe Florida law does). Expect/demand that all users of the trails behave/operate safely.

[ohioshooter]

Originally Posted by charlie1

Would like to hear people’s opinion. I feel motorized vehicles should only be allowed on multimodal paths or on the street within The Villages. In fact, I wish the District would prohibit any MOTORIZED device that exceeds 10 MPH (this would allow disabled or handicap scooters to still use the walking and bike trails). In reality, the e-bikes and some of the scooters travel as fast or faster than most golf carts (I have been passed going 21mph in my cart by e-bikes numerous times.) The only real difference is the width of the two modes of transportation. The stability could also be an issue on an e-bike as they avoid the walkers on the narrower paths. It is dangerous to have anything traveling at higher speeds on the walking/bike trails where most people using the trail are enjoying their walk or a casual bike ride. With the explosion of e-bikes in the Villages, I feel more guidelines are necessary for the walking/bike paths. Right now, I feel it is only a matter of time before something happens. What is your opinion? What would be your recommendations for change, if any?

Keep trying. I’m 80 and ride an Ebike, if I didn’t have it I wouldn’t be riding at all. Most bikes I see on the trails are Ebikes. Most pedal only road bikes are on the street. When I get to the point that everything I do scares me I’ll stay in my recliner.

[margaretmattson]

There is another thread similar to this one that was posted a few days ago. My response then and still is that everyone must follow the standard traffic rule- slow traffic to the right, fast traffic to the left. I have been on hiking, biking, multi-model paths in many different cities. Everyone follows this standard rule. Walkers stay as far to the right as possible on any path allowing faster vehicles to pass them on the left. It is the walker's responsibility to stop walking when being passed if necessary to do so.

We have all learned this in grade school. Remember when you were led by your teacher in a single file staying to the right? Stopping if there was danger?

Everyone can move happily and freely on the paths as long as everyone follows the traffic rules. It is done successfully throughout the world even in large cities. Walkers heed to all faster moving traffic and stay out of the way by keeping to the far right of any path and stopping if dangerous.

No! It is not possible for a walker to always walk facing traffic. What if the walker's destination is the same as the biker's? You both must move on the same path in the same direction. It is the walker's responsibility to stay to the far right on the path allowing faster traffic to pass on the left.

If anyone knows how it is done in the villages, please let me know. I am an avid walker and have never run into a problem except here in the villages. I do not want to be hit by a faster moving vehicle. Thanks!

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

It has been "only a matter of time" for at least three years now.

I have never been passed by an e-bike while in my golf cart. I think there was actually one time I was behind an e-bike traveling close to 20mph. Every other time I have encountered an e-bike it has been traveling less than 17mph (the speed at which I decide to pass a slower vehicle). What area has the 23+mph e-bikes?

My opinion: Forget banning things. Treat e-bikes as bicycles (as I believe Florida law does). Expect/demand that all users of the trails behave/operate safely.

I've been passed recently by an e-bike while I was driving in my golf cart, in the Historic section. We don't have MMPs here except for one small strip up by the country club. We drive our carts in the street just like other motor vehicles, and the POSTED speed limit is 25mph except along Paradise Park, where it's 15 mph.

Not only was I passed by this e-bike, it was a guy sailing through the stop sign, without even slowing down, and passed me when I was at my top cruising speed of 20.3. Considering the speed at which he passed me, I'd say he was going closer to 30 than 25, so he ran a stop sign, and was speeding.

E-bikes can go in excess of 35mph at full throttle, some are even able to go as high as 45mph. They need to not be allowed on MMPs or walking/biking trails. I think they should require registration and a drivers license, just like mopeds do.

[I'm Popeye!]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

I've been passed recently by an e-bike while I was driving in my golf cart, in the Historic section. We don't have MMPs here except for one small strip up by the country club. We drive our carts in the street just like other motor vehicles, and the POSTED speed limit is 25mph except along Paradise Park, where it's 15 mph.

Not only was I passed by this e-bike, it was a guy sailing through the stop sign, without even slowing down, and passed me when I was at my top cruising speed of 20.3. Considering the speed at which he passed me, I'd say he was going closer to 30 than 25, so he ran a stop sign, and was speeding.

E-bikes can go in excess of 35mph at full throttle, some are even able to go as high as 45mph. They need to not be allowed on MMPs or walking/biking trails. I think they should require registration and a drivers license, just like mopeds do.

I think for the very first time, c h o k I n g agree with you!

[margaretmattson]

Posted signs stating that 20 mph is the maximum speed limit would also help. Some owners of golf carts rev up their carts allowing them to travel at higher speeds. Everyone should follow the max speed rules and police should be allowed to ticket the offenders.

For some elderly residents, E bikes are their only means of transportation. As long as they follow the traffic rules, I do not see this as a problem. I believe it is the younger crowd who are whizzing by on the paths. Out for a joy ride getting a kick out of their speed. We are all grown adults, Act like it! If you want to race your vehicle go to tracks that allow it. Stop making your need for speed a detriment to your neighbors.

[charlie1]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

I've been passed recently by an e-bike while I was driving in my golf cart, in the Historic section. We don't have MMPs here except for one small strip up by the country club. We drive our carts in the street just like other motor vehicles, and the POSTED speed limit is 25mph except along Paradise Park, where it's 15 mph.

Just for clarity reason, I was really only talking about limiting E-Bikes, etc. on the walking paths, not the multimodal paths.

[ohioshooter]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

I've been passed recently by an e-bike while I was driving in my golf cart, in the Historic section. We don't have MMPs here except for one small strip up by the country club. We drive our carts in the street just like other motor vehicles, and the POSTED speed limit is 25mph except along Paradise Park, where it's 15 mph.

Not only was I passed by this e-bike, it was a guy sailing through the stop sign, without even slowing down, and passed me when I was at my top cruising speed of 20.3. Considering the speed at which he passed me, I'd say he was going closer to 30 than 25, so he ran a stop sign, and was speeding.

E-bikes can go in excess of 35mph at full throttle, some are even able to go as high as 45mph. They need to not be allowed on MMPs or walking/biking trails. I think they should require registration and a drivers license, just like mopeds do.

Most ebikes are limited to 20mph. There are some manufactured that have a 28mph limit. No ebikes that I have seen or heard of will go any faster than that without modifications. No manufactured ebike that I’m aware of will go more than 20mph without peddling. Ebikes are here to stay.

[dhdallas]

Once again, because of a few bad apples, every e-bike owner should be punished with an outright ban on the walking/bike paths. I own 4 e-bikes and ride responsibly as do almost all e-bike riders. Anyway, how are you planning on enforcing the ban? Good luck with that.

If I was going to ban anything it would be those non-golf carts, as in Atomic cars, from the MMP's. If Atomic vehicles are allowed then what about quads, go carts, Kei mini-trucks, etc.

Finally, it is in the U.S. Constitution (somewhere) that bicycles do not have to stop for traffic signs/signals if they can safely ascertain that the roadway is clear.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by ohioshooter

Most ebikes are limited to 20mph. There are some manufactured that have a 28mph limit. No ebikes that I have seen or heard of will go any faster than that without modifications. No manufactured ebike that I’m aware of will go more than 20mph without peddling. Ebikes are here to stay.

They are limited to between 20 and 28mph on roads in the USA. Golf carts that are set to go over 20mph are required to change their designation to LSVs, not golf carts, and must be registered, insured, and the driver must have a valid drivers license in Florida.

E-bikes are allowed to be set to go faster than golf carts, AND faster than LSVs (which aren't supposed to be set past 25mph but often are).

And a simple google search on "e-bike top speed" returned an entire page of results showing brands and manufacturers and advertisements for e-bike companies boasting about their high-speed e-bikes. So that indicates that - you had (up until just now) a very limited knowledge of the top speed of e-bikes.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by dhdallas

Once again, because of a few bad apples, every e-bike owner should be punished with an outright ban on the walking/bike paths. I own 4 e-bikes and ride responsibly as do almost all e-bike riders. Anyway, how are you planning on enforcing the ban? Good luck with that.

If I was going to ban anything it would be those non-golf carts, as in Atomic cars, from the MMP's. If Atomic vehicles are allowed then what about quads, go carts, Kei mini-trucks, etc.

Finally, it is in the U.S. Constitution (somewhere) that bicycles do not have to stop for traffic signs/signals if they can safely ascertain that the roadway is clear.

How is it a punishment? No one is banning e-bikes from the roads. They want to ban them from the walking/bicycle paths, where MOTOR vehicles are not permitted (except for electric wheelchairs and motility vehicles). E-bikes have motors. Their motors are electric-powered, not gas powered, but they're still motors. If their motor is set to allow the rider to throttle higher than 25mph, then it shouldn't belong on the MMPs either. If it's set to 20 or less, then sure put them on the MMPs but keep them off the walking/bicycling trails.

[JGibson]

Just curious are e-bikes allowed on Buena Vista, Morse, 466, and 441?

And if so which ones are allowed?

It's bizarre a bicycle can cross 441 at the light from Spanish Springs to Historic side but not golf carts.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by JGibson

Just curious are e-bikes allowed on Buena Vista, Morse, 466, and 441?

And if so which ones are allowed?

It's bizarre a bicycle can cross 441 at the light from Spanish Springs to Historic side but not golf carts.

They're permitted, because there exists no laws regarding e-bikes yet. Just like when commercial civilian mopeds first came out, no one needed a license, or registration, or insurance, or even a helmet to drive one. Because they were new. Legislation can't legislate for something that hasn't ever previously existed.

Eventually all states came up with laws about mopeds. The same will eventually happen with e-bikes. Until then, we're stuck without any actual laws regarding them.

Obviously e-bike riders will want no legislation at all.
Obviously people who have had to be inconvenienced at the very least, harmed at the most, by e-bikes, want some legislation.
Most people who haven't ever experienced or witnessed an e-bike in action will either a) have no opinion, b) be skeptical, but not suspicious, or c) be perfectly fine with no legislation.

We already have laws about the little zip-scooters, those things that look like skateboards with a handle and a loud but small gas motor that shoots people through parking lots at 20mph. We have laws for ATVs, and for LSVs, and motor scooters. There is even a statute regarding the category of vehicles in which a Segway qualifies. Now we just need for legislation to catch up with reality, because those e-bikes aren't going anywhere. And the more people who have them, the more risk for accidents and injury due to people not really knowing what they should, or shouldn't do, when riding them or being passed by them.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by JGibson

Just curious are e-bikes allowed on Buena Vista, Morse, 466, and 441?

And if so which ones are allowed?

It's bizarre a bicycle can cross 441 at the light from Spanish Springs to Historic side but not golf carts.

For the time being remember this: In the state of Florida, e-bikes are bicycles.

Bicycles are allowed on walking/biking paths, MMPs, and most roadways to include crossing 441. There can be local restrictions on bicycles and these would apply to e-bikes as well.