Saw yesterday as well. Nothing like creating solutions to problems that don't exist.
By the way, are they going to update the UTV law to ban UTVs from roads with speed limits above 35mph?
***General Cycling Thread***
- Thread starter Tre4ISU
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By the way, are they going to update the UTV law to ban UTVs from roads with speed limits above 35mph?
It’s funny how we cater to vehicles in almost every way
Here’s an alternative, completely stupid bill proposal: if you hit a cyclist with your car, minimum sentence is death penalty
Think this might make drivers be a little more careful around bikes?
Bikers aren’t always innocent here, but come on.
Saw this pop up in social media feed a little bit ago... haven't actually looked up the text to read for myself, but this seems like a really really terrible proposal. I understand e-bikes complicate things, and the current climate of the world makes everyone an expert even if they have no relevant personal experience beyond someone else's interests causing them inconvenience (where even the slightest inconvenience is unacceptable and cause for outrage). However for any cyclist with even a moderate level of fitness, the road is by far the safest place to be riding, primarily because it provides the best visibility of cycle's existence to drivers of motorized vehicles. Anyone who thinks otherwise should try riding a sidewalk or multi-use path that runs parallel to any slightly busy roadway and see how it goes... as a cyclist in that situation you have to absolutely assume that every vehicle is about to turn across your path and run you over--because NOBODY is watching for a bike going 15-20-30 mph on the sidewalk, let alone prepared to mitigate that. Dedicated trails are great where they exist, but that is mainly just near larger cities, and then you're expecting someone serious riding 100+ miles a week to do that on the same 10 mile stretch of trail ad nauseam? I thought this was supposed to be a free country...
The second big problem here IMO is right of way and disproportionate damages in the event of collision... you really NEED to have the hierarchy of pedestrian>bike>motorized vehicle because in the event of any conflict the motorized vehicle wins and bike/pedestrian is hurt/maimed/killed. People who kill cyclists with a motor vehicle rarely get much punishment the way it is... to the extent that the joke in cycling circles is if you want to kill someone your easiest way to get away with it is probably to put them on a bicycle and run them over.
Besides UTVs, comparisons of laws for "implements of husbandry" (ag equipment) are also worth making. Some newer tractors/sprayers will run 30ish mph, but there is a lot of stuff that maxes out around 18-20. A fit person on a road bike can absolutely average faster than 20 that over a long distance, and is very likely 2-3x that under certain conditions (downhill/tailwind/etc). Are we going to restrict tractors/combines/etc the same way as bicycles? As a farmer who has also done quite a bit of cycling (not much recently) other farmers complaining about cyclists is something that really chaps my backside. (Avoiding opportunity to get run over has absolutely been a factor in my very much reduced cycling after moving back to the farm vs when I lived in Ames.)
Bottom line, most anyone with better options and a sense of self preservation is going to take advantage of trail infrastructure or choose the roads they ride carefully. But the way this is described is absolutely terrible both conceptually and the precedent it creates restricting the freedom of someone who wants/needs to use something other than a motorized vehicle to do any amount of getting themselves around.
So if you can pedal 26mph+ you're subject to get a speeding ticket on the streets you're allowed to ride on, or have to sandbag to ride trails. Sounds like freedom to me!
There is also a requirement that whatever device have brakes that will skid: 8. A person shall not use a device that is not equipped with at least one brake that allows the person to make the braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement. I get that the idea here is probably to make sure whatever bike/scooter/etc has the ability to stop itself... but is the ability to skid really the best test? I know very little about e-bikes, but given that skidding a tire is a pretty ineffective way to slow down (and if anything is likely to cause you to lose control / go down) it seems like the smart tech would be to have regenerative ABS of some sort.
This is just a study bill so who knows the full story of how it was written, or how it changes before coming to any vote... it sort of reads like an attempt to regulate e-bikes, but done in a completely hamfisted way and then lumping in pedal-only bicycles also.
Edit: Also maybe worth noting, the prohibition to ride on any roadway with a speed limit over 25mph seemingly would mean no bicycles allowed on most gravel/dirt roads. I *think* law currently is 55mph during daylight and 50mph at night... there was a proposal in 2025 to change that to 45mph at all times (which Google AI seems to think is what it is) but to me it doesn't look like it made it out of committee.
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Lets not kid ourselves, E-Bikes are an issue, just not all of them. However, the law doesnt address the real issue. The line between true e-bikes and 2 wheeled speed demons is very gray.
As usual, the politicians go where they know the least, and **** it all up.
Over the last few years, my close calls with e-bikes is far greater than with cars. Granted I'm riding the trails more these days than road riding, however, if I had a dollar for every time an ******* comes up and passed me at 20+ and doesnt say a word.... What happened to saying, "On your left!"
Edit: The 2 wheeled e-scooters are just as bad in just walking around the neighborhood. They'll run you over and you cant see them at dark as they have no lights.
More on this here:
As usual, the politicians go where they know the least, and **** it all up.
Over the last few years, my close calls with e-bikes is far greater than with cars. Granted I'm riding the trails more these days than road riding, however, if I had a dollar for every time an ******* comes up and passed me at 20+ and doesnt say a word.... What happened to saying, "On your left!"
Edit: The 2 wheeled e-scooters are just as bad in just walking around the neighborhood. They'll run you over and you cant see them at dark as they have no lights.
Nothing is more pleasing for a cyclist than passing the boomer windbags on their E-Bikes/Trikes
There is a LOT of dumb legislation being proposed this session.
