this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2024
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micromobility - Ebikes, scooters, longboards: Whatever floats your goat, this is micromobility

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Ebikes, bicycles, scooters, skateboards, longboards, eboards, motorcycles, skates, unicycles: Whatever floats your goat, this is all things micromobility!

"Transportation using lightweight vehicles such as bicycles or scooters, especially electric ones that may be borrowed as part of a self-service rental program in which people rent vehicles for short-term use within a town or city.

micromobility is seen as a potential solution to moving people more efficiently around cities"

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[โ€“] Kinglink 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Technically the bill adds age restriction for Class 2 and class 3 not 1, but honestly, I kind of understand what they're doing. Class 2 is powered with out pedaling, How that's not a "Motorbike" is a weird determination. But I do question class 1 vs class 3 where 20 miles an hour is perfectly safe, and 28 is somehow dangerous is a weird line in the sand. And also the fact that anything over 28 ... I mean doesn't exist? I guess you can make unregulated bikes now!

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

You are correct; that was an oversight on my part, and I've edited my comment to reflect the Oregon bill.

IMO, the two-wheel continuum is getting muddied by these sorts of bills. As it stands in California, the spectrum starts with bicycles, then ebikes, then mopeds*, then motorbikes/motorcycles. And we have an increasing scale of regulation, requirements, and licenses when moving to toward the actual motor vehicles. This ascension currently makes sense to me.

That class 3 is just shy of the moped with it's 30 MPH (48 kph) limit is perfectly sensible to me, as is a helmet and age restriction. If we didn't have a sliding spectrum, we'd basically be telling teenagers that they might as well go straight for mopeds or motorbikes, and that's just opening a huge can of worms, public policy-wise.

I didn't do an exhaustive search of Oregon law, but I have to imagine an overpowered ebike would get categorized as a moped or motorbike, subject to all those laws and regulations.

  • BTW, mopeds in California are very OP. An M1/M2 license, one-time registration forever, can use bike lanes, no insurance requirement, and can do 30 MPH. Just wow.