[SustainableTompkins] Fwd: Electric Bikes
Tim Joseph
tim at longhousecoop.org
Thu Jun 26 16:22:16 PDT 2008
David,
I live at Longhouse Cooperative, right next to you, and had a similar
experience. I wanted to bike for years, but couldn't face the hills
as a daily commute. Then I got a bike with a motor and spent the
next two years bike-commuting. Mine is a small, 4 cycle, gas
engine. Not as green as electric, but I calculate I get about 100
miles per gallon and was only using the motor for about a quarter of
the biking time. The gas motor has a bit more power than any
electric I've seen, which helps with the section of Elm St. right
above where you probably turn. It wasn't a real choice though, just
what I happened to come across. I too have spread the word and know
of at least one person who bought an electric bike as a result.
However, you should know that these bikes are illegal on NY
roads. Anything with a motor must be licensed and insured. But
these bikes cannot be licensed or insured. Catch 22. The odds of
you actually being ticketed are pretty slim, but because of where I
work, I can no longer bike-commute. And even though the chances of
someone stopping you are pretty low, the penalties for unlicensed,
uninsured operation of a motor vehicle are pretty severe. Sooner or
later someone will get slammed.
We should be pushing for a change in the law that recognizes the
reality of power boosted bicycles. Some states and other countries
define a category of motor assisted bicycles, with a limit on either
power or speed, and define them as bicycles, not motor
vehicles. It's time for NY to do the same.
Tim
>>Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:28:11 -0400 (EDT)
>>From: "David Peter McCobb" <dpm9 at cornell.edu>n
>>To: gjem5760 at yahoo.com, gail at kitchenchairmusic.com,
>> tonydelplato at gmail.com, info at sunnywooddesign.com,
>> sustainabletompkins at lists.mutualaid.org
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>>Subject: [SustainableTompkins] Electric Bikes
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>>Fellow Bikers, I bike-commuted to Cornell from NE area for 8 years prior
>>to moving to Ecovillage, but was stymied for 5 years by the hills between
>>West Hill and CU...until I put an electric motor on my bike. I have been
>>doing it by electric bike for over a year now, and loving it. I am working
>>hard to spread the word; these things make biking in downtown Ithaca seem
>>like the easiest, least-fuss and most satisfying way to travel possible.
>>They require gentle exercise at a level that is nothing-but-fun, and
>>invite more physical input. At stoplights, I love sliding up the edge to
>>the front of the pack, and being able to accelerate out of the way when
>>the light turns green; I think it makes intersections safer, as well as
>>less annoying for bikes. The best part for me, of course, is the range
>>extension; on a single charge I can get to CU, loop up to the mall area if
>>needed (rarely!!), and swoop and climb back home. Every time I head down
>>from W. Hill (Elm St. extension is pretty quiet) I get a smile on my face
>>about how fun it is to be so free. And my fitness has improved, without
>>the brutality of Ithaca Hills.
>>
>>I am working hard to spread the word, as I think this compromise transport
>>is ideal for this town. I claim to have gotten 12 electric bikes on the
>>road so far, through my coaching, brokering, and selling activities.
>>People of every possible sort have had their curiosity piqued by this, to
>>the point that they have either begged or been cajoled into test riding. I
>>have quite a variety of models in my garage, and have an open invitation
>>for all to try them all. The cost of adding this to an existing bike is
>>around $500 (fewer than 10 fill-ups at the pump at current gas prices),
>>and battery recharge costs less than ten cents, I reckon (~0.5 KWatt
>>hours).
>>
>>I call them EZbikes, for a good reason (technically short for electric
>>zippy bikes). I also call my yellow one the "cheatah"; Perhaps Ithaca is
>>ready for this cheaters-version of biking. I think if they were to catch
>>on, this town could absorb several thousand, and set an example. At least
>>I am having a blast trying to make the case!
>>
>>David McCobb
>>dpm9 at cornell.edu
>>
>>
>>
>> > Tony Del Plato wrote:
>> >
>> > I've been a commuter cyclist for over 50 years, both here and in NYC,
>> > and frankly, as much as bike lanes would be nice, we simply need to
>> > take to the road and be present and very visible.
>> >
>> > **************
>> > Tony,
>> >
>> > I agree wholeheartedly. It is a rare day when I see another bicycle
>> > commuter on my daily commute between West Hill and downtown and back,
>> > even now when the fair weather bikers have taken to commuting by bike.
>> >
>> > Yesterday morning however I did pass some 60 cars in the 3-4 minutes
>> > it took for me to get from my house down to the corner of Buffalo and
>> > Taughannock. (By the way 7 out of 8 of those cars, Priuses included,
>> > contained a single occupant.) Generally on my commutes I share the
>> > road with myself and about 400 cars and trucks. In other words I
>> > represent about one-quarter of one percent of the morning commuter
>> > traffic traveling to work via Cliff Street.
>> >
>> > If I don't see any evidence of substantive, sustained reliance on
>> > bicycle as a means of transportation on my daily commutes then I'm
>> > sure Common Council, Board of Public Works and planning and
>> > development Board members certainly can't see it from behind their
>> > steering wheels.
>> >
>> > One thing that has not changed in my 25 years in the public planning
>> > realm is that politicians may speak otherwise, but when it comes down
>> > to a vote they do not respond to logic or the interest of the
>> > environment and the public health and welfare. They respond to
>> > constituencies and the money behind them. That is as true here in
>> > Enlighten City USA as anywhere else.
>> >
>> > Frankly, there is no real constituency for serious bicycle
>> > transportation infrastructure here in Ithaca. We are a fringe
>> > element and treated as such. That's why hundreds of thousands of
>> > dollars are being sunk into recreational trail blackholes such as the
>> > Cayuga Waterfront Trail and the Bridge to Nowhere linking two
>> > segments of a future Trail to Nowhere at the south end of town, at
>> > the expense of real improvements to bicycle transportation
>> > infrastructure.
>> >
>> > That's why a decade after the Town of Ithaca adopted a plan for a
>> > 28-mile network of bicycle and pedestrian paths a mere .75 mile
>> > segment has been built and some three miles of potential future
>> > bike/ped paths won't happen because the Town Board and Planning have
>> > ignored the plan and let developers pave over the mapped routes.
>> >
>> > That's why in 2005 the Town of Dryden Town Board cut out about ten
>> > miles of proposed bicycle and pedestrian paths from their new
>> > comprehensive plan. Because nobody spoke up for the bicycle
>> > pedestrian transportation component, but once enough people got
>> > organized to mount an opposition, it got cut.
>> >
>> > The fact is that here in Ithaca, as is the case through the US, the
>> > bicycle is viewed as nothing more than a recreational toy, simply
>> > because that is how 99 percent of bike owners use their bikes. No
>> > amount of Bike to Work days or Cyclovias to the Farmers Market are
>> > going to change that perception..
>> >
>> > The only thing that would are hundreds of bicycle commuters on the
>> > streets of Ithaca, on a daily basis, rain, shine or snow. It can
>> > happen, and has happened in places like Toronto, Seattle and
>> > Vancouver, but those are three very compact cities where distances
>> > between home and work are short enough to make biking competitive
>> > with the automobile
>> >
>> > That environment does not exist in Ithaca. Given the deeply
>> > ingrained sprawl mentality here, as exhibited in the negative
>> > responses to my arguments for a more compact Ithaca, it doesn't have
>> > much chance of happening here, either.
>> >
>> > But I'm still not giving up hope.
>> >
>> > Stupidly tenacious.
>> >
>> > George Frantz
>> > gjem5760 at yahoo.com
>> >
>> >
>> > George,
>> >
>> > Believe it or not, lots of folks are afraid to ride their bicycles in
>> > traffic. No matter how much you might think they are sissies, they are
>> > real people with real fears of being clobbered by two tons of metal. At
>> > the cyclovia I attended a couple of weeks ago, many of the attendees
>> > expressed a fear of traffic and appreciation for the handholding and
>> > support that the cyclovia event provided. I agree that we all need to be
>> > riding our bikes on the roads with cars and I do this every day. But the
>> > best way to get more folks doing it is to help them, encourage them, and
>> > hold their hands if need be, not to berate them or discount them.
>> >
>> > Gail Blake
>> > gail at kitchenchairmusic.com
>> >
>> > I agree with George. We need to focus exclusively on creating bike routes
>> > through the flats for people who live/work downtown. I don't care how
>> > people
>> > choose to get into town - that's their problem. Commuting up/down the
>> > hills
>> > is just not going to happen - ever. I bicycle commute every day from Fall
>> > Creek to the west end. I'm pretty brave on a bike and I can totally see
>> > why
>> > the average person would never bike downtown in the current situation. My
>> > observations are:
>> >
>> > 1. The roads are narrow with lots of on-street parking (doors swinging
>> > into your path are extremely dangerous).
>> > 2. Like George, I rarely see another commuter - perhaps a couple times
>> > a
>> > week. I do see other cyclists but these are typically kids on
>> > sidewalks or
>> > darting out across traffic. Although I frequently use the sidewalks
>> > myself
>> > near fulton as it is much easier and allows me to get to work faster
>> > than if
>> > I drove (as I pass by all those single occupant cars waiting at the
>> > lights).
>> > 3. I rarely see pedestrians either. I'd be curious to know how many
>> > millions of dollars are spent on sidewalks that are rarely used - at
>> > least
>> > roads are heavily used.
>> > 4. I find it very easy to navigate north/south on any street downtown
>> > at
>> > any time of day. I own those roads!
>> > 5. East/West is another story. Each street has pluses and minuses.
>> > 1. State street is really narrow and parking on both sides is
>> > normally
>> > pretty heavy. Traffic is very slow with frequent traffic lights and
>> > I can
>> > easily stay in the middle of the lane and keep up (no need for a
>> > bike lane).
>> > State street businesses absolutely need those on-street parking
>> > spaces to
>> > survive (Gimme, Mama Goose, Bishops, etc.). Let's not be too
>> > dramatic and
>> > think state street could ever have a bike lane - that's just plain
>> > stupid
>> > and as George pointed out 0.25% has little sway so don't even
>> > bother
>> > fighting that one. It's bad enough that the commons is closed to
>> > traffic,
>> > stretching that out further makes no sense.
>> > 2. Green street is actually a great route despite the faster
>> > traffic.
>> > There are no stops until Cauyga and the street is pretty wide.
>> > There is
>> > on-street parking but it is never very heavy because most
>> > properties are
>> > commercial along this street with their own off street parking.
>> > Residential
>> > also have their own off street parking. Personally, I think this
>> > is the best
>> > candidate for a dedicated bike lane heading east. Removing
>> > on-street parking
>> > along the north side would have few if any complaints (Time Warner,
>> > Fire
>> > Station, Ithaca Journal, DP Dough, etc.). These people have their
>> > own
>> > parking lots and should not care too much if a couple dozen
>> > on-street spaces
>> > are removed.
>> > 3. Seneca on the other hand has a lot of properties that probably
>> > depend on the on-street parking. I don't think you could remove
>> > parking
>> > continuously from either side of this street without a lot of
>> > controversy.
>> > 4. Buffalo and Court always seem to be crazy at commuting times - I
>> > avoid these as much as possible. Way too many stop signs and
>> > every stop sign
>> > or traffic light is a potential bike-vehicle conflict. I much
>> > prefer a
>> > straight shot.
>> > 5. Cascadilla is the best all around route. There is one stop sign
>> > at
>> > Geneva and it's wide open with lots of visibility. Very little
>> > traffic on
>> > this street and I can zip across town very quickly. I will go
>> > out of my way
>> > on either end of town just to take this route. Would love to see
>> > a sharrow
>> > on this street (not a dedicated bike lane). Once I get to Fulton
>> > I take the
>> > west sidewalk. I feel bad about being a cyclist on the sidewalk
>> > but until we
>> > have more cyclists and more signage I feel a lot safer and it's a
>> > lot
>> > quicker.
>> > 6. Another thing to consider is bike routes should not have traffic
>> > lights. The stupidest feeling I have ever experienced on a bike is
>> > when I'm
>> > stopped at a red light with nobody in sight and a cat sleeping in the
>> > road. This is bad enough when you're in a car but I'm not a threat to
>> > anyone
>> > in this situation, I'm not in any danger of being hit by anyone yet
>> > the law
>> > says I have to stand there for 30 seconds or more feeling like an
>> > idiot. And
>> > then a kid comes up on his bmx and liesurely rides kitty-corner
>> > through the
>> > intersection. In general we need to get rid of a lot of traffic
>> > lights.
>> >
>> > Noah
>> >
>> > h 607.273.3029
>> > c 607.262.0305
>> >
>> > 405 E. Marshall Street
>> > Ithaca, NY 14850
>> >
>> > www.deviron.com
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Elan Shapiro
>> > Sustainable Tompkins Community Partnership Coordinator
>> > Sustainable Living Associates, Principal
>> > Frog's Way B&B
>> > 211 Rachel Carson Way
>> > Ithaca, NY 14850
>> > 607-275-0249 607-592-8402 Cell
>> >
>> > "We must be the change we want to see in the world"
>> > Mohandas Gandhi
>> >
>>
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>===<<<>>>===
>Leni Hochman
>Chief Operations Officer
>leni at alternatives.org
>607-216-3418
>
>Alternatives Federal Credit Union
>125 N. Fulton Street, Ithaca, NY 14850-3301
>607-273-4611 fax 607-277-6391
>www.alternatives.org
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Tim Joseph
772 Elm St. Ext.
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-277-2519
tim at longhousecoop.org
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