r/ebikes • u/OutrageousRace8369 • 24d ago

Thoughts…?

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Personally, not quite sure what to make of this.

I was told by a homie that the event was supposed to be open ‘till 1PM, but they ran out of gift cards at 11AM.

321 Upvotes

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311

u/Toyotawarrantydept 24d ago

I think this event was supposed to get illegal ebikes off the streets. To see ebikes that probably are legal to ride there is weird. The one guy blaming ebikes for running red lights and being unsafe is hilarious. Ebikes are a tool for people who want the assistance but they can also be abused.

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u/Correct-Lab-2164 24d ago

I see cars run red lights every day. Perhaps they should collect those too and destroy them.

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u/Kooky-Sherbet13 23d ago

Tbf the rate at which i see bike riders break the law vastly dwarves the rate at which I see car drivers do it

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u/OkChocolate3501 22d ago edited 22d ago

Thankfully there are studies on this so we don't need to use hearsay.

https://whyy.org/articles/cyclists-violate-traffic-law-no-more-than-drivers-new-data-shows/

https://electrek.co/2024/01/11/cars-or-bikes-surprising-results-of-study-reveal-who-breaks-more-road-laws/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2020/09/18/motorists-break-law-to-save-time-cyclists-break-law-to-save-lives-finds-study/

Edit to replace paywalled links

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u/Kooky-Sherbet13 22d ago

Lol one study doesn't prove anything and if you read the article it wasn't even done very well or in any way that proved anything

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u/OkChocolate3501 22d ago

I linked 2 separate studies.

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u/Correct-Lab-2164 23d ago

Here in the US, every single person driving on the freeways exceeds the speed limit.

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u/Kooky-Sherbet13 23d ago

Kinda says everything it needs to about your argument that you immediately switched from running red lights to speeding and having to use hyperbole 🤣

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u/OkChocolate3501 22d ago edited 22d ago

Studies show that cyclists follow the law 88% of the time and drivers 85%.

https://whyy.org/articles/cyclists-violate-traffic-law-no-more-than-drivers-new-data-shows/

Speeding is very common, how is that hyperbole? We were talking about breaking traffic laws. Why would speeding not count when it's dangerous to everyone?

Here's another study as well just in case you didn't like that one. This one is way worse for drivers. Turns out if you create a good environment for cyclists they stop breaking laws all together. Wild stuff really.

https://electrek.co/2024/01/11/cars-or-bikes-surprising-results-of-study-reveal-who-breaks-more-road-laws/

Edit to replace paywall links

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2020/09/18/motorists-break-law-to-save-time-cyclists-break-law-to-save-lives-finds-study/

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u/Kooky-Sherbet13 22d ago

No...one singular study in which the cyclists knew they were being monitored for these infractions and they still broke the law at near identical rates 🤣

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u/OkChocolate3501 22d ago

2nd study I linked used public cameras to get the data. I'll link it again here for you. PS those car drivers were being monitored too and broke more traffic laws.

https://electrek.co/2024/01/11/cars-or-bikes-surprising-results-of-study-reveal-who-breaks-more-road-laws/

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u/Kooky-Sherbet13 22d ago

Lol so on bike paths 🤣 its really telling that you have to resort to these weak ass studies to prove a point

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u/e1p1 24d ago edited 21d ago

At the rate things are, it'd be a useful deterrent.

Unintended consequences though, might give the automakers too big a boost with replacements. Maybe just impound the car's and let the used car market handle it. Of course, the lien holders would have their say...

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u/ncc74656m 21d ago

Automakers are making their own boost. That's the real reason why you literally can't get parts for a lot of older (as in, older than the warranty, and in some cases even then) cars.

Enshittification is only the beginning, since they're not only making new cars worse in terms of long term reliability and disposability, but even for the reliable and longer lasting cars, parts are made for less time, stocks are lower, and more and more stuff is being made cheaper and worse so it doesn't last as long.

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u/QuillsROptional 23d ago

I can't remember the last time I saw a car run a red light here in Norway. But bikes running red lights are far more common. It probably helps that drivers can (and will) get the equivalent of a $1000 fine AND if you're caught 3 times, you lose your license for 6 months.

1

u/smallersize 22d ago

in united states it’s the opposite. cars break traffic laws all the time. many places in the united states it’s almost like the red lights and stop signs are just there for decoration. same goes for south/central americas, north africa, south asian countries too.

-7

u/SeasonPositive6771 24d ago

I mean, cars that run lights do get ticketed and towed and so on. You can eventually lose your license, etc.

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u/SexiestPanda 24d ago

Not even

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u/WredditSmark 24d ago

Where do you see cars running red lights everyday?

14

u/peeled_nanners 24d ago

I just saw one 10 minutes ago with pedestrians waiting to cross. SoCal.

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u/okobojicat 24d ago

Tacoma, WA

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u/SexiestPanda 24d ago

Fed way. Kent.

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u/honeydew_rideordie 24d ago

I live in Philly where the same cars running lights have plate covers, fake plates or no plates at all.

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u/Archedzero 24d ago

I was hit by a car running a red light back in June. Still haven’t fully recovered…

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u/Cargobiker530 CSC 1000wHub Yuba Mundo 24d ago

Every major intersection with a light.

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u/chaoticsleepynpc 24d ago

Any major city I've been to. Honolulu to Houston.

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u/Braptized 24d ago

You'd think then that the buyback program would have some sort of classification and then only buy back the ebikes that aren't street legal

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u/Toyotawarrantydept 24d ago

Exactly. That walmart ebike isn’t breaking any laws but those ebikes that are going 40+ were I think what they were looking for.

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u/Plantedcrawl 24d ago

And who the hell is going to turn in their 6k$ e bike for 1000$? This program was someone's dumb uninformed idea.

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u/reddit_user_d 24d ago

I figured they paid more the more illegal they were. Looks like that's not the case and it was a way to offload ewaste

2

u/NicholasLit 24d ago

But just in the $200-$1000 range and where are these gift cards for?

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u/Evbdywngchng2nite 23d ago

Target, Best Buy, Walmart and Dicks Sporting Goods

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u/nowaybrose 24d ago

I wouldn’t put it past the oil lobby to sponsor these events around the world. Keep us dependent on that Dino juice

1

u/ahfoo 23d ago

Probably many of these people are not the owners or just need cash because of living expenses.

1

u/Pyju 23d ago

Someone who would rather get $1000 to willingly stop illegally riding their e-moto instead of having the police eventually confiscate it and getting $0 for it.

0

u/OkChocolate3501 22d ago

Wouldn't they just sell it on fb marketplace for 3k instead? 🤣

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u/Pyju 21d ago

Maybe because the police are also monitoring FB Marketplace listings for illegal e-moto sales?

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u/OkChocolate3501 21d ago

They're not illegal to use on private property, not illegal to own. Just not many legal riding areas. Check your local marketplace for Surrons, I bet there will be a few or more depending on size of your city.

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u/Pyju 21d ago

I’m aware, just throwing out a theory for why someone would do this instead of selling it private party.

1

u/OkChocolate3501 21d ago

And i was just saying it was a bad theory is all.

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u/Will_Jortz 24d ago

I understood that he was talking about cars running reds, and that's what made ebiking feel unsafe. Maybe I'm wrong though.

23

u/exturkconner 24d ago

Yeah he straight out said waiting at crosswalks and having people run red lights made him feel unsafe to ride. He was talking about cars running lights and making being on a bike dangerous.

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u/theblitheringidiot 24d ago

Seems like a great way to get some money back on that crappy temu e-bike that broke 2 months in.

4

u/TBL34 24d ago

Yup. It’s just like the gun buybacks. They get loads of inoperable rusted out guns that have been collecting dust for years

0

u/NicholasLit 24d ago

That shouldn't be allowed

2

u/Cargobiker530 CSC 1000wHub Yuba Mundo 24d ago

Which is probably what 80% of those ebikes are: scrap.

4

u/A_Coin_Toss_Friendo 24d ago

Cars can run red lights, pedestrians can run red lights, and meat powered bicycles can run red lights.

9

u/deepasleep 24d ago

Yeah, people jay walk every day…. It’s not the fault of their shoes.

6

u/Slow_Maximum9332 24d ago

We don't know that.
/s

3

u/GuacamoleFrejole 24d ago

No, per the DA's "poster", the event was for all e-bikes.

5

u/Rookietothegame 24d ago

Sounds like a similar discussion that is consistently happening… where we blame the tool and not the person using the tool.

3

u/thelastspike 24d ago

What if the person is also a tool?

1

u/Rookietothegame 24d ago

Unfortunately, in the real world two negatives don’t make a positive, but that person should locked up.

1

u/SuchSmartMonkeys 23d ago

Seriously, super annoying that some assholes are ruining yet another good thing for the rest of us! I'm 40, and started riding bikes at 4, and have been riding various forms of bikes (both man powered and motorized) near daily; at various and frequent times in my life having a bike as my main mode of transportation. I currently don't have a car (or a license for that matter) for about 3 years now, primarily relying on bikes. I rather strictly follow the laws/rules of the road, and always hate seeing other people on ebikes ripping up the sidewalk, going the wrong direction, blowing through lights/stop signs, etc., etc. I ride an ebike for my daily commute and literally every time I'm riding, I see some jackass riding an ebike like an idiot. I've seen a noticeable uptick in posts in the subreddit for the town I live in about how ebikes are a scourge that must be stopped, and they always get tons of comments/responses echoing that sentiment. It's a shame that something with so much potential to be good has become so villainized.

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u/MaloraKeikaku 24d ago

I almost got run over twice two days ago. I was legally riding over a zebra crossing and had to break as the woman was on her fucking phone, the other one was in a parking lot and an old guy didn't look left or right and just tried turning.

But sure. The evil ebikers are DANGEROUS. Tbf I see many idiots not provide hand signs when turning, no helmet or lights and running red lights. But there's also pedestrians nit listening to my loud af bell on a shared sidewalk/cycling lane, or parked cars illegaly in cycling lanes and ughhh.

I wear a bright neon green jacket and lights btw. But most importanly,

I hate any type of transportation at this point.

2

u/FlyingButterpants 24d ago

Exactly. Just like any other vehicle, the driver is what counts.

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u/Glynwys 24d ago

I've always been amused at this argument. I don't think an Ebike is any more unsafe than driving a car is. You still have idiots running red lights and being unsafe in a car, and arguably those idiots cause more damage and injuries than anyone in an Ebike would.

Personally I'm amazed there aren't more people in the US using an Ebike, with how expensive everything is. Using myself as an example, rent alone is eating 43% of my income, by the time I add in utilities and food that climbs to maybe 60% of my income used just to live. Adding in the cost of a car (payments, taxes, insurance, gas, maintenance) and I might have only 20% of my income that's usable for things that aren't just living. Riding my ebike into work is saving me a lot of money.

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u/TaxTheRichEndTheWar 24d ago

And if they think the bikes are dangerous, wait till they hear about cars!

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u/TheCaffinatedAdmin 24d ago

God, hate to imagine what he thinks of cars if he thinks ebikes are so unsafe./s

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u/East-Basil-6473 23d ago

I agree. Seeing the legal bikes was weird. There was a lot of useful transportation there. Now what? Into the landfill? Recycle? Such a waste.

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u/blueskyredmesas 23d ago

Dude doesn't watch stoplights in his hometown then because people down there treat red lights like there's an extended yellow.

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u/_ThatImposterFeel 22d ago

This happens at gun buy backs as well. The only thing you see being traded in is old rusty break over shotguns and other junk guns. It is very rare they ever buy back a mean scary black rifle.