I really appreciated the article about the pluses and minuses of e-bikes in this week’s Independent because in many ways, e-bikes have taken over our streets.

What the article didn’t mention is how challenging e-bikes can be for people riding old fashioned bicycles. I ride a few times a week on the Mesa, and e-bikes wiz by and make the bike lanes dangerous (and the whole point of bike lanes is to make it safer to ride!). They go so much faster and often the riders don’t appreciate how dangerous it is to speed by. It’s like sharing the bike lanes with mopeds.

There are clearly tremendous benefits to e-bikes — they keep people out of their cars and when people (of any age) ride them safely and courteously, it’s not a problem. However, many of the people riding them are young, inexperienced, and reckless, and then it becomes a problem.

I urge the City Council to regulate e-bikes, not just on State Street, but throughout the city.

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