New Jersey Law Requires E-Bike Drivers To Have License, Insurance (cbsnews.com) 115
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBS News: As one of his final acts in office, former New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law new requirements for e-bikes in his state. The new legislation signed Monday requires that owners and operators of e-bikes have licenses, registration and insurance. Owners and operators of e-bikes must be at least 17 years old and have a valid driver's license or be at least 15 years old with a motorized bicycle license under the law, which covers all types of electric bikes.
"We are in a new era of e-bike use that requires updated safety standards to help prevent accidents, injuries, and fatalities. Requiring registration and licensing will improve their safe use and having them insured will protect those injured in accidents," said Senate President Nick Scutari, who co-sponsored the bill. The legislation follows an increase in crashes involving e-bikes, including multiple incidents that killed or injured young people in New Jersey in 2025. [...] Registration and licensing fees for e-bikes will be waived for one year, and riders will have six months to get the registration, insurance and license that they need under the law.
"We are in a new era of e-bike use that requires updated safety standards to help prevent accidents, injuries, and fatalities. Requiring registration and licensing will improve their safe use and having them insured will protect those injured in accidents," said Senate President Nick Scutari, who co-sponsored the bill. The legislation follows an increase in crashes involving e-bikes, including multiple incidents that killed or injured young people in New Jersey in 2025. [...] Registration and licensing fees for e-bikes will be waived for one year, and riders will have six months to get the registration, insurance and license that they need under the law.
Finally common sense (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: Finally common sense (Score:2)
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If they switch of the electric assistance at 25-30km/h they are just like bicycles.
Except for their addition mass, which translates in greater energy in an impact, which translates into more damage or injury, which brings us to the reasonableness of licensing and insurance.
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If they switch of the electric assistance at 25-30km/h they are just like bicycles.
Except for their addition mass, which translates in greater energy in an impact, which translates into more damage or injury, which brings us to the reasonableness of licensing and insurance.
E-bikes weigh from about 45 pounds to 80 pounds. My standard mountain bike weighs 50 pounds. The weight difference is within the margin of error, as the weight of the rider can vary by a much larger amount.
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If they switch of the electric assistance at 25-30km/h they are just like bicycles.
Except for their addition mass, which translates in greater energy in an impact, which translates into more damage or injury, which brings us to the reasonableness of licensing and insurance.
E-bikes weigh from about 45 pounds to 80 pounds. My standard mountain bike weighs 50 pounds.
Google: "Mountain bike weights vary significantly by type, from lightweight cross-country (XC) bikes around 22-28 lbs (10-12.7kg) to heavy downhill (DH) bikes over 35 lbs (16kg), with modern trail bikes typically falling in the 28-35 lb range, while electric mountain bikes (e-MTBs) are much heavier, often 40-60 lbs (18-28kg)"
The weight difference is within the margin of error, as the weight of the rider can vary by a much larger amount.
That assumes the rider is not sailing past you on inertia. And the rider is squishy if there is contact. Batteries surrounded by aluminum are not so squishy, ask someone beaten with a p
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If they switch of the electric assistance at 25-30km/h they are just like bicycles.
Except for their addition mass, which translates in greater energy in an impact, which translates into more damage or injury, which brings us to the reasonableness of licensing and insurance.
E-bikes weigh from about 45 pounds to 80 pounds. My standard mountain bike weighs 50 pounds.
Google: "Mountain bike weights vary significantly by type, from lightweight cross-country (XC) bikes around 22-28 lbs (10-12.7kg) to heavy downhill (DH) bikes over 35 lbs (16kg), with modern trail bikes typically falling in the 28-35 lb range, while electric mountain bikes (e-MTBs) are much heavier, often 40-60 lbs (18-28kg)"
My mountain bike folds in the center, and weighs 50 pounds. Your Google search does not negate my actual real-world example.
The weight difference is within the margin of error, as the weight of the rider can vary by a much larger amount.
That assumes the rider is not sailing past you on inertia. And the rider is squishy if there is contact. Batteries surrounded by aluminum are not so squishy, ask someone beaten with a police flashlight back in the day,
It assumes nothing. The rider will exert force on the seat and handlebars at the moment of impact proportional to a significant percentage of the rider's weight. The difference in weight between an average female teen and an average male adult is almost guaranteed to increase the force of the impact by far more than a ten or fifteen pound difference in the mass of the bicycle itself
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\It assumes nothing. The rider will exert force on the seat and handlebars at the moment of impact proportional to a significant percentage of the rider's weight.
Not really. The center of gravity relative to the seat and handlebars will have a large impact. A rider is not necessarily well connected to the e-bike, their body continues in motion independently of the e-bike depending on various factors.
And unless the person who gets hit is either lying down or a small child, there is no "sailing past you on inertia".
Untrue, again, the connection to the e-bike is not as you describe and depends on various factors.
I'm pretty sure most of the severity of injuries in a bicycle-pedestrian collision comes from the pedestrian hitting the ground, not from hitting the bicycle or the rider.
Again, folks beaten by old police flashlights have a more informed understanding than you with respect to getting hit by batteries encased in aluminum.
Also, the heavier e
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I'm happy being a "dumb republican" because it looks like being retarded like you means all you can do is hate.
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Should be an Ignorant Republican.
Ignorance can be educated, stupid/dumb is forever...
the Chinese Communist Party gives him a nickel (Score:2)
I'm happy being a "dumb republican" because it looks like being retarded like you means all you can do is hate.
It's not hate, the Chinese Communist Party gives him a nickel per post. I've criticized CCP policy and he seems to be an assigned harasser. Its actually amusing.
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22 kilos for a "biological" MTB? That seems quite heavy, even for something that only can go downhill. The only DH bike I have seen that was this heavy was with a boxy steel frame self-welded by its owner out of something bought at a construction shop. Can you actually still do a bunny hop with it?
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22 kg or 50 lbs for a mtn bike is insanely high
It's a folding mountain bike.
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My bike goes 20 MPH on throttle, full battery power. Pedal assist works up to 28MPH.
No KPH spec.
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My incredibly crappy 60's era street bike weights 40 lbs. (2.85 stones). My decent quality 70s era racing street bike weighs about 25 lbs. (6400 drams). Your sileage may vary.
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My standard mountain bike weighs 50 pounds
Not many people are riding around on dual-suspension downhill bikes. Most bikes weigh in at 25lbs-30lbs
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My standard mountain bike weighs 50 pounds
Not many people are riding around on dual-suspension downhill bikes. Most bikes weigh in at 25lbs-30lbs
You're missing the point. The point is that if the ban is because e-bikes weigh more, then such a ban is arbitrary, because it unfairly targets one type of bike for weighing more without targeting other types of bike that can weigh more.
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So what's stopping regulations saying if you weigh above X, then you need to have a license and insurance? Or what about if your a high performance peddler, you're more of a risk because you can go faster?
This is a slippery slope you're advocating for.
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So what's stopping regulations saying if you weigh above X, then you need to have a license and insurance? Or what about if your a high performance peddler, you're more of a risk because you can go faster?
This is a slippery slope you're advocating for.
Not really. There is already insurance for damage you might do with your body. Laws too.
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When you're making laws around transportation, you don't target the highly capable. The fact that Mario Andretti, in his heyday, could easily handle 120mph doesn't mean that's what the speed limit should be set to.
It's the bottom tier that represents the highest risk and the largest societal cost, so that's where you have to target the rules. They suck, so everybody needs to be measured against that bar. I don't think it's unreasonable.
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When you're making laws around transportation, you don't target the highly capable. The fact that Mario Andretti, in his heyday, could easily handle 120mph doesn't mean that's what the speed limit should be set to.
It's the bottom tier that represents the highest risk and the largest societal cost, so that's where you have to target the rules. They suck, so everybody needs to be measured against that bar. I don't think it's unreasonable.
I for one love living in a society designed to drag everyone down to the lowest common denominator.
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I don't condone it for all things, but roads? Unfortunately... yeah.
Re:Finally common sense (Score:5, Informative)
There are different classes of motor vehicles. Here in Florida, a moped (which is usually a traditional ICE-powered two-wheeled vehicle) does have to be registered and you have to have some sort of driver's license (IIRC, even a learner's permit is acceptable), but it does not have to be insured. The legally recognized differences that make it not a motorcycle are having an engine with a less than 50cc displacement, and a top speed limited to no more than 30MPH.
There are already various classifications for e-bikes regarding motor output and maximum speed. The most common bikes aren't able to go much faster than you can go by pedaling - they just save you some of the effort.
It seems like the real intent behind this is to disincentivize e-bike use.
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It's kind of dumb here in California -- there are paths that, if you're on an ebike, you're not allowed to go faster than 8mph, but with a regular bike there isn't a limit. On my ebike, if I turn off assist completely, I can comfortably cruise at 15mph according to the speedometer without even putting any real effort into it, and my ebike has those fat tires, which are good for traction, especially in sand, but they're worse for speed because there's more contact with the ground than necessary if you aren't
Re: Finally common sense (Score:3)
This law is not about E assist bikes, it's about the full electric Sauron types with a throttle, they require no peddling , can hit 60mph with mild mods. Unfortunately, e assist bikes will fall into the this broad catagory. A legal e assist bike will be capped to 15 mph with peddling, but you can buy any number of Chinese full electric bikes off Amazon or eBay.
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Its always those motherfuckers that cause the problem. Here in australia the speed limit for scooters and ebikes is 25km/h which is a pretty safe speed. Notwithstanding getting run over, a crash at that speed rarely causes a serious injury, just an ouchie really, some scratches and bruises, but rarely anything broken. At 35km/h the chance of a break grows considerably larger, and at 45km/h a crash WILL put you in hospital and any higher, you'll be in critical care or worse.
The problem is the little shops ar
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I'm in .au and I agree with everything you say. There's one ironic safety perk, which is that the teenagers around here on the illegal ebikes (they are not even pretending to be legal, they have no pedals ) all wear full face helmets. Much safer in a crash, but I'm pretty sure they wear such helmets to make it harder to ID the riders.
As usual, the Betoota Advocate is pretty insightful: https://www.betootaadvocate.co... [betootaadvocate.com]
As for the speed issue, you are dead right. Isaac Newton told us that kinetic energy goes
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Ahahaha that article is a classic.
Yes, as a teenager in the 1980s we did *very stupid shit*. Drunken parties, blowing up rubbish bins with chlorine bombs, invading backyards to skate in swimming pools, actually lots of stupid skateboard shit, frigging nangs, you name it, I was one out of control teenager. And many times that resulted in the local copper giving me a smack and taking me back to my parents who ..... well they never hit me , but I sure as hell didn't enjoy it.
And I regret NOTHING. I had the tim
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Fun fact: if you blow yourself up, your head is how they identify you because it separates from the body.
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It would be good if they required basic insurance and for cyclists to identify themselves in the event of an accident. It's become a problem around here, especially with ebikes and escooters.
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Or when a cyclist hits a pedestrian. Happened to my wife last year. Bastard ran off and the police couldn't identify him.
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Not really disincentivising e-bike use more than applying some actual sense. Every countries like the Netherlands which is bicycle Mecca is trying to implement rules on ebike use. The reality is they are dangerous, far FAR more so than a normal bicycle.
There are already various classifications for e-bikes regarding motor output and maximum speed. The most common bikes aren't able to go much faster than you can go by pedaling - they just save you some of the effort.
One of the biggest problems with e-bike classification is that they are incredibly trivial to fake, so much so that the Netherlands police has a guide on how to identify hidden speed limiter bypass devices / switches for the purpose of testing bikes. An insan
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Sure, but the two teen girls who were killed on their e-bikes in new jersey were killed by a car. This new law does not improve safety at all. Instead, it puts more cars on the road, reducing safety.
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Sure, but the two teen girls who were killed on their e-bikes in new jersey were killed by a car. This new law does not improve safety at all.
Really, in the states where I've had training being aware of the traffic around you, defensive driving, has been a topic. Multiply that by a factor of hundred if the training is for a motorcycle rather than a car.
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>"Really, in the states where I've had training being aware of the traffic around you, defensive driving, has been a topic. Multiply that by a factor of hundred if the training is for a motorcycle rather than a car."
^^This. I have been a motorcyclist for decades. *THE* most important thing to know is that, literally, everything is out to kill you. Other vehicles, nature, the road, the weather, yourself, everything. You must drive (and dress) that way, always. It requires a lot of attention and defen
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At least a motorcycle lets you keep up with traffic. Trying to ride any sort of low speed vehicle in the actual roads requires having a death wish, because literally everyone will be passing you (and not every motorist is going to do so safely).
Legal or not, most people in my suburban area of central Florida just ride their e-bikes and electric kick scooters on the sidewalks. Before anyone screams "but what about the pedestrians?!", it's central Florida - nobody walks. Everything is just spaced too far a
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Should people get walking licenses to protect themselves from cars, too? Pedestrians get hit by cars all the time.
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Should people get walking licenses to protect themselves from cars, too? Pedestrians get hit by cars all the time.
Irrelevant.
What would be relevant is pedestrians getting hit by e-bikes while on the sidewalk. Something that also indicates licensing/training is needed within the e-bike community.
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How is that irrelevant? We are saying e-bike riders need to get licenses and insurance because sometimes they get hit by cars because they aren't trained well enough in "defensive driving". I think we should do the same for pedestrians so they can also practice "defensive driving". Like if you go outside your house and try to cross the street, you should need an insurance policy just in case you get hit by a car. Its common sense.
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No we aren't. The e-bike deaths used to promote this law were cyclists hit by cars. Also, it doesn't matter if they are mopeds or not because vehicular cycling is the law of the land in most US states, so by your logic we should probably make everyone get a bike license to make sure nobody rides on the sidewalk, and instead blocks a lane of traffic like they are supposed to. Especially children. We need to do this for the safety of pedestrians.
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The summary merely says "The legislation follows an increase in crashes involving e-bikes, including multiple incidents that killed or injured young people in New Jersey in 2025"
There's this amazing thing called the internet where you can search for things and figure out stuff that isn't in the article. You should try it.
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The summary merely says "The legislation follows an increase in crashes involving e-bikes, including multiple incidents that killed or injured young people in New Jersey in 2025"
There's this amazing thing called the internet where you can search for things and figure out stuff that isn't in the article. You should try it.
That where I learned of "plenty of of injuries with e-bike riders hitting things or people".
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I don't think you did. how many does your reliable source say is "plenty"? I searched for the multiple incidents that killed or injured young people in New Jersey in 2025 that prompted the legislation, and 100% of them were e-bike riders getting hit by cars.
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So you are basically assuming the outlier a politician refers too, usually something chosen due to being the most tragic not the most representative, is the norm.
I'm not. They are.
Modern training includes a lot of coverage of defensive riding due to the dangers autos and trucks represent.
I agree entirely. Pedestrians need the same training, obviously. Per mile traveled, walking is the most dangerous mode of transportation.
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Here in Toronto, we have thousands of people riding around on ebikes and scooters. We are supposed to have a law that they need to have working pedals, but that is completely ignored unless the cops do a blitz. Anyone on a gas-powered moped needs a license, registration, proper helmet and insurance. These e-bikes are just as fast and just as hazardous, but the rules don't apply.
We have a LOT of drunks wobbling around on these: They don't need a license. Users of these things often go along with their feet d
Re: Finally common sense (Score:3)
Comparing an ebike to a car is a bit of a stretch
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Here in Australia there is a big distinction between "motor vehicles" and "e-bikes". An e-bike is not allowed to travel faster than a certain speed, the motor can't be more than a certain power and it must be pedal-assist (i.e. there can't be a way to constantly run the motor without pedaling).
Anything outside of that criteria is treated like a motorbike with all that entails (motorbike drivers license, vehicle registration etc).
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These things have motors, therefore they're a motor vehicle.
Do you remember when all those Lime/Bird scooters were unleashed upon the USA? As it turns out, one of the things they lobbied for was that e-vehicles like scooters and bikes are treated like a pedal bicycle under the law, which is why you can ride your e-bike on bike paths that say, "no motorized vehicles". These laws were generally enacted at the municipality level, so state level law will override that... but some state level laws were enacted too. It is a total mess.
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In Arizona e-bikes are explicitly identified as NOT motor vehicles. In law. Not even Class 3 bikes.
And it is not permitted to identify them as such, nor attempt to apply motor vehicle law to their operation{.
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Motor vehicle laws for ages have had exceptions based on maximum speed and type of motor. These days, those were adequate, because few people had those vehicles. Now they are all over the place, with 10-year-olds around here zipping around at 30mph (80639 furlongs per fortnight) with no clue about traffic rules or even which side of the road to drive on or just driving on the sidewalk. There are in increasing number of injuries, and some of these kids are gonna die. You can argue Darwin, but still it's
We must do SOMETHING (Score:5, Insightful)
This is something... therefore we must do it.
This is not a good solution. It does not solve the problem of people riding irresponsibly. It just adds cost and paperwork for people riding responsibly.
Just enforce the existing laws against riding irresponsibly.
Re: We must do SOMETHING (Score:3)
Because it's just so damn easy to commit that much law enforcement time to irresponsible electric bicycle riders.
I don't have a problem with this. Where I live, there are engine displacement and horsepower rules for older moped-type gas powered bicycles, laws that need to be updated for the e-bike phenomenon. Honestly I would class anything with the equivalent or more power of a typical 100cc moped as a motorcycle and start mandating registration.
Did you ever consider that perhaps police wanted much more
Re:We must do SOMETHING (Score:5, Insightful)
This is something... therefore we must do it.
This is not a good solution. It does not solve the problem of people riding irresponsibly. It just adds cost and paperwork for people riding responsibly.
Just enforce the existing laws against riding irresponsibly.
Agreed. This seems incredibly dumb to me.
The reason cars require a license is because they have a high risk of killing someone else. If this were in response to e-bike riders killing other people, these laws would make sense.
But those accidents they talked about both involved kids on e-bikes being hit by cars. Unless they darted out into traffic at a rate that would have been impossible on a normal bike (very unlikely), those kids would have been killed just as dead on a normal bike.
So all this law does is make it more difficult to own a bike that helps you go uphill, without any obvious safety benefit. It falls into the category of "arbitrary and capricious" as laws go, creating an arbitrary distinction not based on evidence, but based on feelings.
Worse, they picked 18 MPH as the threshold above which a license is required. But class 1 and class 2 bikes have a maximum speed of 20 MPH. So this is tantamount to an outright ban on all existing e-bikes unless ridden by licensed drivers, and would require all new e-bikes manufactured just for New Jersey..
In any sane universe, the courts would throw this out, because the net effect is a ban on the commercial viability of e-bikes. If they adjusted their law to be standards compliant and limit it to class 3 bikes (over 20 MPH), then this law would be fine, if only because a lot of other states already have similar laws on the books. It would still be useless, but at least it would be based on well researched thresholds about risk of bodily harm to pedestrians, rather than some number that a bunch of politician pulled out of their backsides.
So IMO, this really is about as dumb as laws get, because it is clear that the people who wrote the laws did not consider the impact on interstate commerce, did not consider the body of law from other states in deciding how to write their laws, and did not consider the state of the market. They then proceeded to write a law based an expectation of a reduction in fatalities that IMO has no basis in reality.
Figure out what politicians voted for this, and vote against them or run against them next time, because nobody who voted in favor of this is competent to hold office.
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I think e-bikes are a good thing. I don't own one, preferring the old fashioned kind of bike, but I've ridden by fair share of cursed lime bikes.
Worse, they picked 18 MPH as the threshold above which a license is required. But class 1 and class 2 bikes have a maximum speed of 20 MPH. So this is tantamount to an outright ban on all existing e-bikes unless ridden by licensed drivers, and would require all new e-bikes manufactured just for New Jersey..
Personally I think the US laws are overly permissive. In th
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they top out at 15.5mph
I am fat and have asthma and yet I can reasonably exceed 15.5 mph by pedaling either of my MTBs (one hard front and rear, one full suspension.)
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I am fat and have asthma and yet I can reasonably exceed 15.5 mph by pedaling either of my MTBs (one hard front and rear, one full suspension.)
I don't really get your point.
Firstly, by the time you're owning two monutain bikes, you're already into the somewhat rarified realm of a pretty keen cyclist.
And secondly, for how long? I can hit 26 (probably faster) on the flat on my semi upright commuter bike, but I can't keep it up for very long.
EPACS, which are available to anyone from 14 on wards with no trainin
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Firstly, by the time you're owning two monutain bikes, you're already into the somewhat rarified realm of a pretty keen cyclist.
I think owning one good full suspension bike probably does that too, TBH.
If it helps though, the second one is a Rock Hopper I got for $20, I just couldn't pass it up.
And secondly, for how long? I can hit 26 (probably faster) on the flat on my semi upright commuter bike, but I can't keep it up for very long.
I can do 20 or so for a pretty decently long time on a flat. Much more, not so much. I catch a lot of wind :) (I've owned a road bike with curly bars and didn't like it.)
I think for something with very light requirements it's fine to limit it so that people without experience can't push themselves to the point of it being a massive hazard to themselves and others.
Sure, I agree with that. I'm not against having multiple classes of license as well. As I understand it this is something many nations do with motorcycles with great success.
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If it helps though, the second one is a Rock Hopper I got for $20, I just couldn't pass it up.
Well you've definitely got bitten by the bug then! You start, then you get a nice bike, then you see an irresistible fixer-upper and it's all over.
I can do 20 or so for a pretty decently long time on a flat. Much more, not so much. I catch a lot of wind :) (I've owned a road bike with curly bars and didn't like it.)
I used to have one, rather liked it and then some asehole vandal did for it (they set fire to some bi
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If you don't count my radio flyer tricycle, I got my first bike when I was still in the single digits. It was an orange BMX from China or something. Then I had a Schwinn with a stick shift...
I pretty much never ride though. I'll probably let go of the big bike (it's a Haro) and build out an angry e-Bike on a K2 frame someone gave me. It has a really beefy rear swing arm with a through hole at the pivot, I want to put a sprocket there and do a jackshaft. I just need to find an appropriate front suspension ch
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Any vehicle that operates on public roads should be required to have some sort of identification tag and require licensure and insurance. Don't like it? Then keep your shit in your driveway.
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So what happens when some dipshit on a bike or e-bike pulls out in front of a car causing them to swerve and hit someone else, and said dipshit just takes off?
Any vehicle that operates on public roads should be required to have some sort of identification tag and require licensure and insurance. Don't like it? Then keep your shit in your driveway.
Then such a law needs to apply to all bikes, not just e-bikes. Otherwise, it is unreasonably targeted.
Also you'll need to figure out how to mandate a visible identification tag on a bike. At any size that would be readable from a distance, this would require substantial modifications to the bicycle that go far beyond what most people would consider reasonable. The limited space between the tire and the seat is reserved, by law, for a reflector or rear light. Do do what you're proposing without harming v
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The problem is not people riding irresponsibly. The problem is motorists breaking the law when overtaking law abiding cyclists.
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Just enforce the existing laws against riding irresponsibly.
Without training, how would one know what is irresponsible or required by law?
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The existing law doesn't do anything to generate revenue for the insurance industry, though.
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Just enforce the existing laws against riding irresponsibly.
Without stationing a police officer at every corner that isn't possible. On the other hand once someone gets into a serious accident police can catch up. Now my question to you: you are in an accident, do you prefer to be in an accident with someone who is insured, or someone who is uninsured? How much paperwork do you think the former would add to your life?
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Without stationing a police officer at every corner that isn't possible.
This sparked a curious thought - are there enough officers to place one at every corner?
I looked at Manhattan cause it's dense (and yeah, I know it's not in NJ - just appeasing my curiosity here):
* 2400 - 2800 major intersections in Manhattan[^1]
* 33,000 - 34,000 NYPD across the 5 boroughs.
Though I couldn't find per-borough stats, a naive 34,000 / 5 still gives 6800, more than enough to station two per intersection.
Surprisingly, my tiny home town had similar stats: One intersection with a traffic light and
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This is something... therefore we must do it.
This is not a good solution. It does not solve the problem of people riding irresponsibly. It just adds cost and paperwork for people riding responsibly.
Just enforce the existing laws against riding irresponsibly.
Agreed and the same argument can be made about the reckless driving, and speeding, uninsured, or unregistered cars in the US. In communities where there is no enforcement of speed limits, people speed a lot. In communities where there is strict enforcement, people rarely speed.
If there is no enforcement of a rule, then people will ignore that rule.
Is it a motorcycle or not? (Score:2)
>"New Jersey Law Requires E-Bike Drivers To Have License, Insurance"
Is there such a thing as "E Bike Insurance"? Haven't heard of that before. Or are they just trying to classify it as a motorcycle, but not really. And if it is being treated like a motorcycle, shouldn't that also require a MOTORCYCLE license, not just a [car] driver's license?
And oh, estimates are that at least 1 in 7 licensed drivers (and some think it is higher) are driving motor vehicles around without any valid insurance. Making
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This law, brought to you by... (Score:1)
... scumbag insurance companies everywhere.
I'm not saying e-Bikes aren't a problem but if you already have laws limiting e-Bike and e-Scooter to 250W power limits then why are there so many getting around in the kW range? (I saw a chopper-style e-Bike the other day with a 3kW rating.) Maybe you should enforce these things first.
AFAIKT, the legislation doesn't affect e-scooters. (Score:4, Insightful)
I imagine that you'll see a proliferation of those amongst children under 15.
That this will bring a safety benefit isn't obvious.
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already happening. Disclosure: I'm a gray-bearded biker who has been riding longer than most of those on this website have been alive.
I've had to talk to three separate families in my neighborhood about traffic safety after near misses and accidents involving kids on e-scooters/bikes. E-Scooters/Bikes are quick, and I can see the appeal, but even when I rode a bicycle to school (yes, a Pennyfarthing), there were things you did and didn't do on a public street. Then again, I've been nearly run over w
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Re:Rebecca Watson did a decent video about this (Score:4, Insightful)
Or heaven forbid it forces the kids pedal and earn the distance traveled.
God forbid we're talking about a teenager who might want to show up at their job not all sweaty and disgusting. I agree that in principle there should be some mandatory traffic safety education required for e-bikes and e-scooters, but it should be something that's attainable at minimal cost, without having to pass a road test in a car that you may not even have access to.
It's bad enough that we made it impossible to get around most of America without owning a car, and now some places are throwing a middle finger up at folks who've found an inexpensive workaround.
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God forbid we're talking about a teenager who might want to show up at their job not all sweaty and disgusting.
Yeah, I could assume most kid jobs don't provide that but anyway; I worked for a big finance company where we had showers and lockers to put our suits into so we could shower and change clothes before going to wok. There was also a big locker to put our bikes into and you had to go through a security guard to get to it.
You can only pedal so much (Score:2)
You then plopped kids into that completely isolated from each other by distances of 20 or 30 or 40 miles.
Then you got angry at the kids for spending so much time on screens chatting with their friends.
And then when the kids have a variety of mental health problems because of all that every time they came up with a solution to it you cut it them off f
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People with Disabilities Left Out (Score:2)
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They may make an exception here, it really depends on the definition of "registered" and "vehicle". an e-bike or scooter of some sort might not count, especially if low powered.
Looking, they aren't actually restricted from owning more than one vehicle, it's just that the additional vehicle counts towards the $2k/$3k asset limit, while the primary vehicle doesn't count, even if it's $100k.
Which seems silly and should probably be increased by an order of magnitude.
https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/... [ssa.gov]
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And everyone over 15 that can't manage to get to the DMV to get the motorized
Do you (Score:1)
Do you have a license to sell hair tonic to bald eagles in Omaha Nebraska?
insurance companies will profit (Score:1)
The ol scam... (Score:2)
Everyone knows insurance is a scam, so how much did this twat get paid by lobbyist to pass this law? Insurance and registration doesn't make anyone safer, it just adds a layer of unnecessary paperwork to enjoy your god given freedoms. Hopefully someone sues the state and stops this non sense from going into effect.
Don't care (Score:2)
Not doing it.
The devil is in the details (Score:2)
Reminds me... (Score:2)
“Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” - Ronald Regan
People are abusing the laws (Score:2)
Most cities try to treat electric bikes with a weak enough motor as regular bikes.
But the bikes would routinely abuse the process. In NYC the speed limit is 15 mph for an electric bike.
People routinely do things like sell an e-bike has a 'max' speed of 15 mph when the engine can easily do 20 mph. Sometimes they put in a limiter (that can be easily removed), sometimes they do not even bother to do that. Sometimes they sell bikes with haul capacity and the max speed is 15mph --- when the hauler is full.
It